David Raya and Mikel Arteta missed out on individual honours at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, despite helping Arsenal end their long wait for a Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final.

Raya lost the men’s Yashin Trophy to Spain teammate Unai Simón, while national team manager Luis de la Fuente took the men’s coaching award ahead of Arteta.

The goalkeeper’s defeat followed a season in which he collected a third consecutive Premier League Golden Glove, recording 19 clean sheets in 37 appearances as Arsenal secured their first league championship since 2004.

That return was his best in the competition and placed him alongside Pepe Reina, Joe Hart and Ederson as goalkeepers to have won the award in three successive seasons.

His domestic consistency, however, did not translate into the global goalkeeping prize, with Simón emerging ahead of a field that also included Argentina’s Emiliano Martínez.

For Arteta, the outcome denied him individual recognition after delivering the league title that had eluded Arsenal for 22 years.

The Spaniard also guided the club to their first Champions League final since 2006, although Paris Saint-Germain denied them a maiden European crown in a penalty shootout.

De la Fuente claimed the coaching honour after leading Spain to World Cup success, leaving Arteta among the unsuccessful nominees alongside Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, Bayern Munich’s Vincent Kompany and PSG’s Luis Enrique.

Arsenal also missed out in the men’s club category, where PSG received the award despite the London side’s domestic breakthrough and run to the European final.

By: Addy Kennedy Edem