Zenga on his broken record: "Nobody in Italy cared about it anyway"

Italian goalkeeping legend Walter Zenga, whose record for consecutive clean sheet minutes at a World Cup was recently surpassed by Spain's Unai Simón (519 minutes), has commented on the new milestone. Zenga previously held the record, having kept five clean sheets at the 1990 World Cup in Italy against Austria, the USA, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay, and the Republic of Ireland, totaling 517 minutes. Claudio Caniggia eventually scored against him in the 67th minute of the match against Argentina.

"Records are meant to be broken. Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. I'm happy that I held this achievement for 36 years, and I did it all within a single World Cup," the Italian recalled in an interview with Swiss television RSI.

"However, nobody in Italy truly appreciated this record because nobody cared about it. The achievement of clean sheets is secondary. If someone scores 10-12 goals, they say, 'Oh, what a record!' but nobody talks about goalkeepers," Zenga remarked with a touch of bitterness, as quoted by BTA.

Unai Simón last conceded a goal at a World Cup on December 1, 2022, in Spain's match against Japan, scored by Ao Tanaka. Since then, exactly 519 minutes have passed, and the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper will have the opportunity to extend his lead in the upcoming Round of 16 clash against Portugal.