It has been a long time coming and many people were worried that it wasn’t going to happen at all. David de Gea has finally broken through and has become the first choice of many top athletes around the world. And what a choice it is! Let’s find out more about him.
Short Bio
David de Gea was born on the 10th of March 1993 in Madrid, Spain. He is a left-handed shot and chose to play for Real Madrid, after starring for their youth teams. The young Spaniard quickly rose through the ranks at the club and in 2011 he was called up to the first team, where he would eventually make his debut. It was a rough start as he made only two appearances before suffering a torn ACL that year which sidelined him for the rest of the season. However, the young goalkeeper would eventually recover and return to action in the 2013/14 season. David de Gea is yet to make his International debut for Spain and has only participated in U-21 tournaments so far, including the 2013 European Championship where he started every game and Spain won the tournament. He currently plays for the club in the German Bundesliga where he is expected to be the main goalkeeper for the next few years. In 2017, he was named the best goalkeeper in the world by the FIFPro World XI. With the current world-class standard being so high, it is expected that many clubs will be competing for his signature in the near future. If you are a fan of David De Gea, follow the link below and learn more about him.
Career So Far
After breaking through at Real Madrid, the goalkeeper would quickly attract the attention of the top European clubs and on the 26th of May 2014, it was announced that David de Gea would be joining Manchester United for a reported fee of £17 million ($24 million US). The young goalkeeper would go on to make his debut for Manchester United in the 2014/15 season, where he would establish himself as a trusted member of the starting XI. It wasn’t long before pundits were talking about one of the greatest goalkeeping duos in football history: De Gea and his current partner at Manchester United, David de Boer. The two have a lot in common: they are both left-handed, they are both very young (De Gea is just twenty years old and De Boer is twenty-three) and they both share the same agent, Jorge Mendez. It seemed that no matter what aspect of the game you looked at, David De Gea was excelling at.
In the 2015/16 season, De Gea was the clear first-choice goalkeeper for Manchester United and he responded by demonstrating why he is rated among the best in the world. The Spanish goalkeeper helped his side to a staggering amount of clean sheets, posting a league-high seventy-seven saves, according to WhoScored.com. He also starred for England in the 2016 EURO where he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Sweden. After the tournament, he announced his allegiance to both England and Spain, stating “I hope there will be a chance for me to represent England in the future. I grew up supporting the Three Lions and it’s an honor to represent both clubs.”
What a way to end the 2016 season. De Gea was in amazing form, not playing badly but often being unable to prevent his side from losing. However, United did manage to salvage something from the season and with the help of De Gea, they qualified for the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League. The year 2017/18 proved to be an excellent one for De Gea. The young goalkeeper kept fifteen clean sheets in the English Premier League, the joint-fifth highest total in the league. In order to improve his game even more, De Gea has returned to Madrid, joining the Celta Vigo first team in 2018, although he has not ruled out the possibility of playing in England one day. What a journey it has been. A day when this young goalkeeper was unknown and undeclared, unrecognized by some and untouchable to others, and now, with only a few seasons under his belt, he is seemingly on a path to stardom. By the way, if you are betting on sports and want to get a bonus code, go to https://odds2win.bet/bonuses/pakistan/melbet and collect your bonuses.
Style, Personality, and More
It is difficult to put into words just how dominant David De Gea has become. If you are watching a game and a save is made, you know it is because of him. The highly-rated goalkeeper is known for his commanding performances between the posts, his superb reflexes and his ability to make spectacular stops. There is not much more you need to know about him. When it comes to personality, De Gea is comfortable in front of the camera and has proved himself to be a very approachable goalkeeper. The Spanish superstar has also demonstrated a very good understanding of what the fans want and he has taken the initiative, making numerous appearances at community projects and events across Manchester.
What is also interesting is that while many goalkeepers focus on just their shots, De Gea is always looking to improve. The goalkeeper worked hard with his coach, José Manuel Arribas, in the offseason to focus on his positioning, anticipating the next shot and using his feet efficiently. While most goalkeepers live for the glory of scoring a last-minute, game-winning goal, it would seem that De Gea is driven more by the challenge of keeping his team in the game. And what a challenge it is! With his combination of talent and work-ethic, it is no wonder that clubs and players want to work with this goalkeeper.
The Question
Now that we know a little bit about David De Gea, it is time to ask: is he the best goalkeeper in the world? Is he even in the same league as the best in the world? The answer is yes, he is probably the best currently available. And what is even more amazing is that the current best is only twenty-four years old! To put that into perspective, the average professional football player only lives to be about thirty-five. So, in terms of raw talent and ability to perform well at a young age, David De Gea is on a par with the best of the best! And that is incredible. There are certainly other world-class goalkeepers out there, including Manuel Neuter, Peter Schmeichel, Claudio Bravo and many more.
However, these men are now in their mid-thirties, pushing thirty and they have been consistently excellent for many years. While it is easy to attribute their success to natural gifts, the truth is that many of these men worked hard to attain the level of excellence that they have reached. In terms of raw ability, De Gea has demonstrated that he is the real deal and he has done so at a very young age. While pundits and analysts will argue that the German goalkeeper, Marc Lewandowski, is the superior choice, they must also acknowledge that there is a reason why David De Gea has been consistently ranked among the best of the best for such a short period of time.
Source: forbesblog.org
