Andriy Who-nin?
Real Madrid’s stand-in goalkeeper has made a name for himself.
A peripheral figure until only a few weeks ago, you may be forgiven for stopping for thought when you saw the name Andriy Lunin among the superstar cast of El Clásico at the weekend.
The Ukrainian kept his second Real Madrid clean sheets against Elche, having been forced to wait until his eighth club appearance to record his first against Getafe some 1,569 days after he joined the club for a reported €8.5 million from Zorya Luhansk.
Loan spells at Leganés and Real Valladolid failed to make much of a statement with just 744 minutes across nine appearances under his belt, while another temporary move to Real Oviedo was marginally more successful, playing 20 games in the second half of the 2019/20 season.
Until recently, his most well-known moment at Real Madrid was probably for being the man who got married in a grey tracksuit. Marrying his model partner Anastasia, the pair donned tracksuits as they had a civil ceremony in the Spanish capital.
By making his first start in a Clásico on 16th October 2022, he became the first Ukrainian player ever to take part in the fixture. In a year which has tested Ukrainians more than any other, it was a remarkable achievement which not only cements his place in the history books, but also serves as an inspiration for a nation desperately crying out for a hero.
He has neither won fans over, nor faced severe criticism, in his stint in goal. The consensus has been that while Thibaut Courtois has been missed, and he likely would have saved some of those efforts to have beaten Lunin, he hasn’t made any glaring mistakes either.
In one moment of tension, both Toni Kroos and Karin Benzema sprinted towards him to make a clear message to slow play down in the Clásico. Far from a sign of frustration or disappointment, it was a mark of respect that Real Madrid’s stalwarts were no longer giving Lunin any special treatment.
The truth is that Lunin has not had it easy. With 3.44 xG against in LaLiga since he was given the number one role in Courtois’ absence, Real Madrid have ranked seventh in terms of best defence when considering their xG conceded.
With Courtois’ return time still to be established, we could still have Lunin around for some time. Lunin is no longer a stranger in the Real Madrid line-up, but his presence is one which brings a sense of security, even if it may not be quite the same as the self-proclaimed “best goalkeeper in the world”.