CORNERFLICK
Luis de la Fuente has left out La Liga’s standout goalkeeper Alvaro Valles from his latest Spain squad.
Valles' numbers lead the division
Real Betis have started the season strongly under Manuel Pellegrini, with five wins from seven games and third place in the table, five points behind leaders Barcelona. Valles, a 29-year-old academy product, has four clean sheets — the most in La Liga — and has made 31 saves, the highest total in the division.
He has also posted the best shot-stopping figures in the league. According to the source material, Valles has prevented 7.38 expected goals, the top mark among La Liga goalkeepers, and has saved 81.6% of the shots he has faced.
Spain stick with other options
Valles returned to Betis in the summer of 2025 on a five-year deal after leaving for Las Palmas in 2019. Despite that form, de la Fuente selected Unai Simon, David Raya and Josep Martinez instead for Spain's latest squad.
The Betis goalkeeper still has work to do before forcing his way into the national set-up.