The time Costa Rica surprised the soccer world 2:24
(CNN Spanish) --
Keylor Navas is the most outstanding international player of the Costa Rican soccer team.
His experience in international clubs is important: from the Spanish Albacete, through Real Madrid and now at Paris Saint German.
The 'ticos' have his experience as a letter of introduction for the Qatar 2022 Soccer World Cup.
Navas, 35, will go with Costa Rica to its third consecutive World Cup.
With his historic saves and his precision to take care of the goal, Navas was essential for the qualification of the Costa Rican team to the World Cup in Qatar, and now he will seek to stop the goals from Spain, Germany and Japan in Group E of Qatar 2022, perhaps the group of death.
"In the tie, what happened between Joel Campbell and Keylor Navas was gigantic," Costa Rican sports commentator Monica Malavassi told CNN.
"I give more than 50% of the credit for having classified these two players. In other words, a lot (of the classification) fell on the performances of Joel and Keylor Navas."
FIFA recognizes him as the "leader" of a historic team from this country: "Without major flaws in his game, he is a complete goalkeeper who delivers in all areas. Keylor's presence always gives Costa Rica another life, capable of initialing several impossible saves in the same match", says the FIFA page about the goalkeeper.
It was not enough for Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas to maintain his undefeated goal against Brazil. He conceded 2 goals in the final minutes against Brazil, and his team was eliminated from Russia 2018. (Credit: GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP / Getty Images)
And their numbers prove it.
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Figures of Navas with the selection
Matches with the national team:
107
Year of debut with the senior team:
2008
Goals against:
107
Matches without goals against:
41
Palmares
4 Champions League
— Real Madrid (2016-2018)
4 Club World Cup
— Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018)
2 Participations in World Cups
with Costa Rica (2014; 2018)
5 National titles
with Paris Saint-Germán ( 2019-2022)
5 national titles with
the Saprisa club of Costa Rica (2008-2010)
Keylor Navas spent his first season at Real Madrid deputizing for Iker Casillas in 2014.
The passage of Keylor Navas with the Costa Rican team
The goalkeeper, who began his journey as an international for Costa Rica in 2008 at the age of 21, has played 107 matches with the national team, where they remember the stellar presentation he had at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which is historically the best result for the Ticos in a World Cup: there they reached the quarterfinals, with a historic performance by Navas.
There were the "giant killers".
This is how FIFA reminded him:
🇨🇷 🙅♂️ Keylor Navas doing Keylor Navas stuff@NavasKeylor |
@fedefutbolcrc pic.twitter.com/WY5wR4A7oc
— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_es) June 9, 2022
In that World Cup he was classified as one of the 10 best goalkeepers with the least defeated goal.
With both saves, Costa Rica passed the group stage beating Uruguay and Italy, and drawing 0-0 with England.
Navas finished the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as the goalkeeper with the fewest goals, with only two goals in five games and a 91.3% effectiveness, although the golden glove went to Manuel Neuer, champion with Germany.
In the round of 16, Navas had to excel in kicks from the penalty mark against Greece.
There a save to Theofanis Gekas earned him a pass to the quarterfinals.
For that last game, which they played against the Netherlands, playing time had ended with a goalless draw, with a stellar performance by the Costa Rican goalkeeper who, aided by the posts and some of his defenders, managed to hold out until the game went to a shootout. of penalties.
It seemed that the World Cup in Brazil did not want to say goodbye to the team that surprised the world.
But in the end, saves by Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen left Costa Rica out of the Cup.
Costa Rica partying in Qatar 1:12
"The World Cup was something very nice for me and the people of Costa Rica; playing with the great teams and all the atmosphere that a World Cup deserves makes you improve," said the Tico, who says he feels "better in the field of soccer and staff".
"The campaign on Brazilian soil in 2014 cannot be explained without the divine interventions of Keylor Navas, the great figure of the national team and one of the main names in the World Cup," FIFA wrote about the Costa Rican.
"His performance was so good that the powerful Real Madrid decided to hire him after the tournament and Keylor became one of the heroes of a team that won three consecutive Champions League."
He is the only goalkeeper to win after consecutive Champions Leagues.
With Navas, Costa Rica seeks to repeat the feat of Brazil 2014, in Qatar.
"With men with a lot of experience, but obviously headed by a very trustworthy man and above all who gives a lot of security, behind like Keylor Navas," Melissa Alvarado, a sports commentator in Costa Rica, told CNN.
"We are back to being exactly the same with Keylor Navas in a World Cup: expecting the best from him."
And while he is perhaps the oldest player, along with midfielder Bryan Ruiz, "age doesn't matter as much because we've seen older goalkeepers perform well," Melissa Alvarado said of Navas' age.
For now, with Navas shining in Europe even though he is no longer the starter for PSG, the Costa Ricans are hoping that he, with his character and personality, will lead them to the pinnacle of soccer glory by leading the resistance against the best forwards in the world in this , which will probably be his last World Cup.
Keylor NavasCosta Rica National Team