Keylor Navas

Migrated to the U.S. when he was young, leaving him in the care of his grandparents.

Encouraged by his grandfather, Juan, who drove him to football practice in a rattletrap Toyota, Keylor was admitted to the club Escuela de Fútbol Pedregoso when he was 8. His coach spotted and groomed the boy’s talent, and he remained with the club until age 14.

A few years later, he took the bus to San José to join Primera División power Deportivo Saprissa. Navas played in the goal for Saprissa from 2005 to 2010, helping the team win six Liga FPD titles and the 2005 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. Navas was signed by Albacete Balompié of Spain’s Segunda División in 2010, and later was loaned to Levante UD. In March 2014, he was named La Liga’s Player of the Month, the first goalie to win the award.

The same year, Real Madrid triggered his €10 million buyout clause and he signed a six-year contract with one of Europe’s most storied clubs. Many fans were shocked when Madrid tried to trade him to Manchester United in 2015, but the deal fell through because the paperwork was submitted late. Navas continued to dazzle for a team that didn’t seem to want him.

Real Madrid went on to win the 2015-16 UEFA Champion’s League title, with Navas setting a team record by not allowing a single goal in his first eight appearances.

Representing his country, Navas played in two CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments, and was named best goalkeeper in 2009, when Costa Rica reached the semifinals.

But it was his stunning debut in the 2014 World Cup that cemented his reputation as among the best of the best.

Now the world will be watching as he takes the field in Russia, and this time the world knows exactly who he is.

Navas married his girlfriend, Andrea Salas, in 2009, and they have two children. He became a Spanish citizen in 2014.

But you can bet the Ticos still claim him as 100% Costa Rican.

Navas tends the net in a Spanish League match against RCD Espanyol, May 17, 2015, Barcelona.