First, Edgar Badia’s numbers look utterly contradictory. He stood among the season’s top shot-stoppers in LaLiga, yet at the same time he carried the burden of being under constant pressure. The Franjiverde goalkeeper has openly admitted that he would prefer not to top the saves chart, hoping that fewer chances were created against his team. He argues that fewer saves would mean Elche’s defense was facing fewer dangerous moments rather than him simply denying more attempts.
Badia has already made well over a hundred saves this campaign, with LaLiga crediting him with 101 stops. It will soon be noted that, given the number of matches played, his defense faced roughly four clear opportunities per game that he had to extinguish in important moments.
Known as “El Santo,” the 31-year-old Barcelona native is praised for his knack of rescuing his team. Across the season he has faced a high volume of shots, stopping about seven of every ten attempts, translating to a save rate of around 68 percent.
He has appeared in every league fixture so far, totaling 25 matches and 2,250 minutes. Mascarell is next in line with 1,910 minutes, followed by Gumbau with 1,680 minutes, a clear margin that underscores Badia’s central role. The Franjiverde goalkeeper has already exceeded the number of matches he played last season, and he is approaching the 30-match mark reached in the 2020-2021 season, his first in the top tier.
His save percentage was slightly higher in the previous full season, around 69 percent, but the total stops were relatively modest. The season before that, he reached 95 saves with a maintenance of about 67 percent. If efficiency is the metric, his best year in the second division shows a 77 percent success rate when he faced more difficult situations, notably during 144 interventions.
Edgar Badia and Omar Mascarell recently signed off
— VL Deltel
Most oppressed
Yet what stands out is the relentless pressure on Badia. Elche has produced the most goals in the league, scoring 49, nearly two per game. He has expressed a wish to be one of the league’s top savers without conceding so many goals, conveying this sentiment in a recent press conference.
There is a clear pattern: a goalkeeper who is among the league’s busiest is often a sign of a struggling defense. Ledesma of Cádiz, just a point from the relegation zone, and Mamardashvili of Valencia are among the other heavily targeted keepers. Not far behind is David Soria of Getafe, illustrating how defensive frailties translate into goals conceded and heavy workload for the goalkeeper. A team in 19th place, such as Almería, also factors into the broader picture.
The harsh takeaway is that even though Badia has faced a high volume of shots, not all of them were penalties, and Elche’s defense has endured its share of dangerous sequences. Of the 49 shots that reached the Mark, seven were penalties. The defense has also allowed a total of 43 goals from open play, including six from outside the box and one own goal. These figures show that Badia had to swim through treacherous waters repeatedly, leaving him in a challenging position at times.
Edgar Badia: “We are just in time to join the league”
— VL Deltel
Finally not a leader anymore
Being the leader in stop ratios does not automatically equate to being the best overall. The top of the leaderboard reflects a defensive reality more than a goalkeeper’s single value. Recently the team’s defense has shown improvement, as Valladolid pressed the Franjiverde goal and Badia ceded the top ranking to Jeremias Conan Ledesma of Cádiz. Elche’s primary goalie is no longer the solitary leader in this contentious metric.
Badia holds a contract with Elche until June 2025. He remains one of the few Franjiverdes whose market value has held firm this season. Whether his future lies with Elche or elsewhere remains uncertain. Regardless, the keeper known as “El Santo” has delivered one of the more impressive campaigns in the squad, and his continued presence would be a significant asset for the club.
Always knocking on election door
A few days before the national team coach announced the first roster, fans asked why Edgar Badia has never been capped for Spain’s senior squad despite his recent numbers. Born in Barcelona, Badia has represented Spain at youth levels, debuting at 17 with the under-17 squad and accumulating 12 matches across the U18 and U19 teams.
The Elche goalkeeper is celebrated for exceptional reflexes and positioning in LaLiga, routinely performing eye-catching stretches and making decisive saves in one-on-one situations. His ball distribution has improved notably in recent seasons. His main weakness lies with aerial challenges, reflecting that his regional upbringing may have shaped his training emphasis. In the most recent game, he was seen arguing with teammates about a defensive lapse that could have caused danger. The motto, it seems, is to keep working hard—an approach that keeps him among Europe’s most reliable shot-stoppers and a candidate for national team consideration.