Filed under: Manchester United, Football, Transfer News
David de Gea has at least one thing going for him: he's Spanish. This means that despite his relative youth (he's 20), he is likely to have enjoyed a measure of success on the international stage. And so it is that de Gea has two European Championship medals - with the Under-17s in 2007 and the Under-21s last week.De Gea's domestic accomplishments are limited by the fact he does not play for one of Real Madrid or Barcelona though the Atletico Madrid keeper has won the Europa League in 2010 and the Uefa Super Cup, when he saved a Diego Milito penalty to preserve a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan.
At 6' 4" (also listed as 6' 3" and 6' 5" in some publications) de Gea has the classic goalkeeper's build and while it goes without saying that he holds his own as a shotstopper, it is his maturity in organising his defenders and in his distribution (that byword of modern football analysis as it pertains to goalkeepers) that sets him apart, apparently.
We're guessing it takes more than an occasional save to catch the eye of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson though the Scot has also signed Tomasz Kuszczak and Roy Carroll...
Anyway, by way of an introduction, here are five factoids (descriptions doubtless featuring varying degrees of accuracy) about de Gea:
- "De Gea's move comes after Old Trafford scouts followed the 'keeper for almost two years as the Spanish under-21 international grew from 'B' level football at the start of the 2009/10 campaign, to the cusp of the World Cup squad nine months later. Those observers, which included Ferguson during the now infamous 'scouting trip' to Valencia last autumn, have witnessed a player mature from the kid who led Spain to the under-17 World Cup final in 2007, to a 'keeper of authority and composure at Atlético.
"Indeed, de Gea's uncanny likeness to van der Sar will provide reassurance to supporters and team mates alike, despite the player's lack of experience. At 6′ 5″, with a seemingly unflappable personality, many feel de Gea possesses both the physical and mental attributes to make it at Old Trafford." (United Rant)
- "His first team debut for Atletico came on September 30, 2009 when he was thrust into Champions League action against Porto after first choice keeper Roberto was forced off injured after 26 minutes played. Then aged just 18, he was unable to keep Porto at bay and the team lost 2-0, but the youngster was delighted to have finally got onto the pitch. 'It was difficult to sleep the night after that game with all of the emotion I felt,' the teenager said. 'It was a dream come true for me to debut with Atlético, especially in a Champions League game.' (Daily Mirror)
- "His keeping skills definitely belie his age. His performances have brought comparisons with the veteran Van Der Sar, not just for his ability but for his stature as well.
"He is a commanding keeper with good shot stopping abilities. He has almost all the qualities required to be a world-class keeper. The only thing that he is slightly lacking in at the moment is experience but he will only gain that with first team football.
"The only factor that will work against De Gea signing for Manchester United is his age. De Gea is good but his lack of first team experience will work against him. United seem to want an experience replacement for the reliable Van Der Sar." (soccernews.com)
- "A graduate of Atlético Madrid's academy, David De Gea made his first-team debut in September 2009 but even before then he had gone some way towards establishing his reputation in Spain. Two years earlier, in 2007, he had been one of the stars of the national Under-17 team's victorious European Championship campaign, conceding just twice in five games and helping Spain win their semi-final penalty shoot-out against Belgium.
He has always drawn comparisons with the man he will succeed at Manchester United. 'He is a lean goalkeeper, with a body type similar to that of Edwin van der Sar,' noted the news agency EFE in its report of that 2007 final, a 1-0 win over England. De Gea himself cited the Dutchman, along with Gigi Buffon, as one of his idols. By 2009, even Uefa.com was referring to him as 'the new Van der Sar'." (The Guardian)
- "A Uefa European Under-17 Championship winner with Spain in 2007, De Gea has been earmarked to follow in the footsteps of other early Liga starters like Real Madrid CF's Iker Casillas and FC Barcelona's Víctor Valdés." (Uefa.com)
In his own words:
"That a team like United think of you as a replacement for a goalkeeper as strong as Van der Sar is great, but I have to keep fighting and working because I'm just at the start of my career and to get to his level will take a lot of effort.
"Hopefully I will still be playing at his age. You need strength, luck and to take great care of your body, because football consumes you." (Daily Mail)
And finally, a few clips of de Gea in action:
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