David Raya is unrecognisable in photo from 2018 after plastic surgery for injury

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The Arsenal goalkeeper now sports a very different look following a horror collision on the pitch

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya now looks unrecognisable from when he joined Blackburn Rovers due to a horror injury that saw him undergo reconstructive surgery. Raya even left football fans in disbelief with his change of appearance back in 2024 thanks to a viral post on social media.

The Spanish goalkeeper, who cost Arsenal £30 million from Brentford in 2024 after a loan spell with the Gunners, has been a vital cog in Arsenal’s Premier League title-chasing machine this season.

Arsenal will now face off with the Bees on Thursday evening as they look to extend their lead at the top of the table. However, a post on X from two years ago showcased a side-by-side comparison of Raya at 29 and when he was 19, prompting reactions from supporters who think he appears much younger now.

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Many fans are only now discovering that Raya, who is now 30, changed his appearance due to a severe injury he sustained while playing for Blackburn.

Raya was involved in a serious collision with then-West Brom striker Jay Rodriguez during a game, which led to him being hospitalised and wearing a protective mask for two weeks upon his return. He later had reconstructive surgery.

Comments on the X post ranged from: “What a glow up” to: “The glow up is insane”. One fan even joked: “Broke his nose and he aged backwards”, while another commented: “Ain’t no way that’s Raya”.

Although the injury turned out to be less critical than initially thought, Raya still opted for surgery, which he delayed until the end of the season. In November 2018, the shot stopper discussed the harrowing experience in detail with the Lancashire Telegraph.

Although the injury has left him with a new-looking nose, at the time he insisted that he chose to do it at the season’s end in a bid to not miss any action.

“It’s not impeding me to breathe or anything and if I had the surgery now [during that season], I would be out for six to eight weeks,” he said.

Then-Rovers boss Tony Mowbray described the incident at the time, revealing the extent of Raya’s injury. “The players were feeling sick with what they saw,” Mowbray told BBC Sport.

“He is in hospital. The bone at the top has been pushed into the skull almost and the nose is sort of hanging off really. The players could not look at it, it was that bad.”

Now playing for Wrexham, Rodriguez also expressed his thoughts on the incident. The former West Brom star stated that his involvement left him feeling devastated.

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“It’s not nice to see. I was chasing the ball, I tried to get out of the way but I’ve caught him with the top of my foot,” he said. “I’ve been told he’s gone to hospital and I’m gutted about that.”

After nearly 100 appearances for Rovers, Raya moved to Brentford where his impressive performances over four seasons caught the eye of Mikel Arteta, who brought him to Arsenal, initially on loan in 2023, before making the move permanent a season later.

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