Kepa Arrizabalaga facts for kids
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Arrizabalaga playing for Chelsea in 2021
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ondarroa, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2011 | Athletic Bilbao | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Basconia | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Athletic Bilbao B | 50 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Athletic Bilbao | 53 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | → Ponferradina (loan) | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Valladolid (loan) | 39 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2025 | Chelsea | 109 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | → Real Madrid (loan) | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Bournemouth (loan) | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Arsenal | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Spain U18 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Spain U19 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Spain U21 | 22 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2023 | Spain | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:05, 1 July 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta (born October 3, 1994), known simply as Kepa, is a Spanish professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for the English club Arsenal.
Kepa started his career in the youth academy of Athletic Bilbao. He then played for their senior team. In 2018, he joined Chelsea for a record fee for a goalkeeper. With Chelsea, he won the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League. He also won the UEFA Super Cup.
Later, Kepa played for Real Madrid and Bournemouth on loan. He won La Liga and another Champions League title with Real Madrid. In 2025, he moved to Arsenal permanently. Kepa has also played for the Spanish national team. He won the European Under-19 Championship with Spain's youth team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Athletic Bilbao
Kepa was born in Ondarroa, Basque Country, Spain. He joined Athletic Bilbao's youth team when he was ten years old in 2004. He began his senior career with Basconia in 2012. This team is linked to Athletic Bilbao.
In 2012, Kepa was called up to the main Athletic Bilbao squad. He was a substitute for some matches. In 2013, he moved to Athletic Bilbao B, the reserve team. He played regularly for them.
Loan Spells and First Team Debut
In 2015, Kepa was loaned to Ponferradina, a team in the second division. He played 20 matches for them. Later in 2015, he was loaned to Real Valladolid, another second-division club. He played 39 games there.
After his loans, Kepa returned to Athletic Bilbao. He became a regular player for the first team. He made his top-flight debut in September 2016. In January 2018, he signed a new contract with Athletic Bilbao until 2025.
Time at Chelsea
Record Transfer and Early Success
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On August 8, 2018, Kepa joined Chelsea. Chelsea paid €80 million (about £71.6 million) for him. This made him the most expensive goalkeeper in the world at that time. He signed a seven-year contract.
He made his Premier League debut three days later. Chelsea won 3–0 against Huddersfield Town. Kepa helped Chelsea stay unbeaten for 12 league matches. In January 2019, he saved a penalty in the EFL Cup semi-final. This helped Chelsea reach the final.
In the 2019 EFL Cup Final, there was a misunderstanding. His coach wanted to substitute him for a penalty shootout. Kepa stayed on the field. He later apologized and was fined. Chelsea lost the shootout. However, he helped Chelsea win the UEFA Europa League that season. He saved two penalties in the semi-final shootout.
Challenges and Champions League Win
Under a new coach, Kepa faced some challenges. He was sometimes benched for other goalkeepers. In September 2020, Chelsea signed Édouard Mendy. Kepa became the second-choice goalkeeper.
However, things improved under coach Thomas Tuchel. Kepa had a strong period, keeping many "clean sheets" (not letting the other team score). He was part of the squad that won the UEFA Champions League in May 2021.
Winning the Super Cup and EFL Cup Final
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In the 2021 UEFA Super Cup, Kepa came on as a substitute for the penalty shootout. He saved two penalties, helping Chelsea win the title. He also helped Chelsea reach the EFL Cup Final in 2022. In that final, he came on for the penalty shootout. He missed the only penalty, and Chelsea lost.
Return to Form and Loan to Real Madrid
In 2022, Kepa started playing more regularly for Chelsea. He had a great run of games, keeping five clean sheets in a row. He was praised for his saves. One of his saves in October 2022 won the Premier League Save of the Season award.
On August 14, 2023, Kepa joined Real Madrid on a one-year loan. He was brought in because their main goalkeeper was injured. He made his debut on August 25, 2023, keeping a clean sheet. He played 13 matches in a row for Real Madrid. He won La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid.
Loan to Bournemouth
On August 29, 2024, Kepa was loaned to Bournemouth for the 2024–25 season. He made his debut on August 31, 2024. He kept his first clean sheet for Bournemouth in October 2024.
Joining Arsenal
On July 1, 2025, Kepa signed a permanent deal with Arsenal. He joined them after his contract with Chelsea ended.
International Career
Youth Teams
Kepa played for Spain's national youth teams. He was part of the under-19 team that won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2012. In the semi-final, he saved two penalties in a shootout.
Senior Team Debut
Kepa was first called up to the senior Spanish team in March 2017. He made his first appearance for Spain on November 11, 2017. It was a friendly match against Costa Rica, which Spain won 5–0. He was part of Spain's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but he did not play in any games during the tournament.
Playing Style
Kepa is known for being a quick and agile goalkeeper. He has good reflexes and is good at stopping shots. He is also known for his ability to play with the ball at his feet. This means he can pass the ball well and help his team start attacks from the back.
Early in his career, experts thought he was one of the most promising young goalkeepers. He was praised for his "presence and character." He was also noted for being good at catching balls in the air.
Sometimes, Kepa faced criticism for his performances. However, he often showed great improvement and made important saves. He has been praised for his good decision-making and distribution skills.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Basconia | 2011–12 | Tercera División | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | Tercera División | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 31 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||||||
| Athletic Bilbao B | 2012–13 | Segunda División B | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||||
| 2014–15 | Segunda División B | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |||||
| Ponferradina (loan) | 2014–15 | Segunda División | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Real Valladolid (loan) | 2015–16 | Segunda División | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| Athletic Bilbao | 2016–17 | La Liga | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| Total | 53 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 54 | 0 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2018–19 | Premier League | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | — | 54 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| Total | 109 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 163 | 0 | ||
| Real Madrid (loan) | 2023–24 | La Liga | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Bournemouth (loan) | 2024–25 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| Arsenal | 2025–26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 347 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 413 | 0 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 0 | |
Honours and Awards
Kepa has won many titles with his clubs and national teams.
Chelsea
- FA Cup runner-up: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
- EFL Cup runner-up: 2018–19, 2021–22
- UEFA Champions League: 2020–21
- UEFA Europa League: 2018–19
- UEFA Super Cup: 2021
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2021
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2023–24
- Supercopa de España: 2024
- UEFA Champions League: 2023–24
Spain U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2012
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2017
Spain
- UEFA Nations League: 2022–23
Individual Awards
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2018–19
- Premier League Save of the Month: October 2022, February 2025
- Premier League Save of the Season: 2022–23
Images for kids
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Kepa with Spain U19 in 2012
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See also
In Spanish: Kepa Arrizabalaga para niños
