The Arsenal goalkeeper, speaking to Spanish media during Spain's preparations in Las Rozas, reflected on a season he described as the best of his career.
Raya helped Arsenal win the Premier League for the first time in 22 years and reach the Champions League final for the first time in two decades, a run that ended with the trophy being lifted in Budapest.
"My season, personally, has been successful and with Arsenal, impressive," Raya said. "We reached a Champions League final for the first time in 20 years and lifted a Premier League title 22 years on. I'm very happy with my performance."
Asked whether his experiences in England could translate to the international stage with Spain, Raya pointed to the strength in depth of the World Cup field.
"We are European champions and we live with that with complete normality," he said. "There are national teams that are competitively very good. It's a very long tournament, with more rounds, more teams. We have to focus on what we can do."
Raya was born in Barcelona and moved to England at 16 to join Blackburn Rovers, eventually qualifying for senior international football with Spain rather than England.
Asked directly whether he had ever considered representing England, Raya was unequivocal.
"It never crossed my mind," he said. "I feel Spanish and always wanted to represent Spain. I wouldn't feel like representing England. I would feel like a stranger."
The goalkeeper's path to the top began with an unlikely diversion to the fifth tier of English football.
As a teenager at Blackburn, Raya dropped down to join Southport on loan in the National League, an experience he credits with shaping his mentality.
He remains in touch with people from that spell at the Merseyside club.
"During the years I did keep in contact with them, and this year, in the cup, I ran into one of my coaches," Raya said.
"Remembering those moments at Southport is something incredible. Those three or four months I spent with them, when I was 18 or 19, I'm very grateful for the opportunity they gave me."
Raya also discussed the aftermath of the Champions League final with PSG midfielder Fabián Ruiz, a former Spain teammate.
"The first thing was to congratulate him, because I didn't have the energy to talk to him after the final," Raya said. "In Las Rozas we spoke a bit, and I congratulated PSG on the campaign they had."
Reflecting more broadly on his time in English football, Raya said the drop to non-league football early in his career remains the experience that changed him most.
"The experience I had at Southport, I was playing in the Under-21s. There was no demand, no pressure. It motivates you to win, but winning didn't matter as much."
He recalled telling Blackburn directly that he needed first-team football to develop properly.
"I told the club I needed professional football to live that experience. I couldn't go to League One because maybe I didn't have that ability, but going to the fifth division made me value that things aren't so easy when you're used to having everything done for you."
That period, Raya said, remains central to how he approaches the game now.
"You realise the reality and it shapes you. You don't take anything for granted. You try to give your maximum to reach the highest level and have your life sorted."
With Spain among the favourites heading into the World Cup, Raya's journey from a near-empty stadium in Southport to a Champions League winner's medal stands as one of the tournament's more striking backstories heading into the competition.