Keylor Navas smiles when he hears the nickname his teammates have given him - Keylor 'Paras', a pun on his surname which might be translated as 'Mr Save'. The name is now in common use among the Real Madrid squad, who are not at all surprised at his current level of form. His great stops were already regular occurrences at the Valdebebas training ground and now they have gone back on to the world stage, where he shone for Costa Rica in Brazil.

The whole squad adores him. They know that his mental strength is a key factor in his performances. When he first arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu he was buzzing. He was fresh from the World Cup where he had performed well enough to be signed by Real Madrid. But once the season got underway and he realised he was just the back-up keeper, he went downhill somewhat. Perhaps it was noticeable in some of the 11 games he actually did take part in. However, Keylor has shown commendable resilience to bounce back and is now looking virtually unbeatable.

The former Levante man has shown himself to be solidly sure and confident in the worst possible scenario - taking over from Iker Casillas after almost being on a plane on his way to sign for Manchester United. Far from affecting him, it has acted as a tonic for Keylor, who is now experiencing some of the best moments of his ever-improving career.

The 28-year-old has let in just three goals in 12 matches, which equates to a mere 0.25 per game. There is no case history at Real Madrid of any keeper who has conceded fewer goals in the first dozen games in a season. Keylor 'Mr Save' is the new Real Madrid number 1 and not just because of the jersey he wears.