Lawrence Vigouroux, who grew up in Somers Town, has had a solid season serving between the sticks for Swansea City in the Championship [Keeran Marquis/SPP]

FRESH from a solid season serving between the sticks for Swansea City in the Championship, goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux has been catching the eye on the international stage.

Chile are among the surprise absentees from the 2026 World Cup, which gets underway tonight (Thursday) when joint hosts Mexico take on South Africa. And goalkeeper Vigouroux, who grew up in Somers Town, offered a sharp reminder of some of the talent that will be missing from this summer’s showpiece tournament when he put in a spellbinding performance in Chile’s 2-1 defeat against Portugal on Saturday at the Estádio Nacional.

Vigouroux was at his acrobatic best to push away a powerful header from Manchester City’s Rúben Dias after just four minutes, before reacting well with his feet to then deny Cristiano Ronaldo. In the second half the 32-year-old also reacted well to tip João Cancelo’s bicycle kick over the bar.

Vigouroux was eventually beaten by Gonçalo Guedes just before the hour mark, and could do little about Bruno Fernandes’s guided shot from distance as the Manchester United midfielder grabbed what would prove to be the winner.

In the national press it was a brawl involving Portugal forward Rafael Leão and Chile defender Ivan Román that resulted in both players being sent off that understandably hit the headlines. But the real talking point was Vigouroux’s string of impressive saves.

The shot-stopper, who first made a name for himself playing on pitches across Camden and Islington, enjoyed better fortune on Tuesday night when he helped Chile beat Congo DR 2-1 in their final friendly of the campaign.

Afterwards Vigouroux, who has a tattoo on his arm of a young boy holding a football looking up at the Ampthill Square estate near Mornington Crescent where he once lived, posted on social media: “My season is finally over, an awesome year. I’ve been very lucky to play at some amazing venues all over the world.

“I can’t wait to do it all over again; time to rest and relax now.”

A weekend fixture against Ronaldo is a far cry from the matches Vigouroux would play in the Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League, back when he would get into trouble for staying out too late playing football in “the cage” – a pitch on the Cumberland estate in Regent’s Park that was home to a number of the borough’s best players.

Now setting his sights on some much-needed rest and recovery before returning to pre-season training with Swansea, Vigouroux said: “I’m proud. It was demanding, but also one of my best ever seasons personally.”