David de Gea GK1: A Spotlight on his Illustrious Career at the Theatre of Dreams
David de Gea Quintana, popularly called de Gea, is a professional footballer who plays goalkeeper for the Spain national team and Manchester United in the English Premier League. David de Gea became a world-class goalkeeper after joining Manchester United in 2011.
This article is about David de Gea, his childhood story, early life, family background, club career, awards, and much more. We also answered questions such as: how old is De Gea, when did he join Manchester United, how many clean sheets does De Gea have, and why does De Gea not play for this Spain national team? If you’re ready, let’s dive right in.
David de Gea: Childhood Life and Family Background
The Spain and Manchester United goalkeeper was born in Madrid, Spain, to Jose De Gea and Marivi Quitana. He is the only child of his parents. David’s parents gave birth to him in their early 40s.
Goalkeeper David de Gea came from a wealthy family. David de Gea is part of a prosperous family of goalkeepers. His father, Jose de Gea, was a legendary goalkeeper for Getafe. It is no surprise that his son has taken up the family tradition.
Even as a kid, De Gea was a huge sports fan. As a result, his parents, especially his mom, encouraged him to strike a good balance between academics and sports. Because of the family’s wealth, he was able to start his football career at one of the top Spanish junior academies.
When was David de Gea born?
David de Gea was born in 1990 on November 7. The Manchester United goalkeeper is 32 years old.
Early Career
David de Gea began his footballing career at La Escuela de Futbol Atletico Casarrubuelos, affiliated with Atletico Madrid. De Gea also played for his school team when needed. He could play virtually all positions (defense, midfield, and attack roles).
De Gea joined Atlético Madrid when he was 13. He worked his way up through the club’s youth teams before getting his first professional deal in 2008 at age 17. That contract kept him at Atlético until 2011.
De Gea got called up to the Atletico senior squad as a backup for Roberto when Sergio Asenjo was away at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. On September 30, 2009, at 18, he made his Atlético first-team debut when he replaced an injured Roberto.
Manchester United
There was growing speculation over who would be the best replacement for Manchester United’s departing goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, with most centering on De Gea. De Gea joined Manchester United on June 29, 2011, for a British record fee of around £18.9 million for a goalkeeper.
On July 23, 2011, De Gea made his first start for Manchester United in a friendly game against the Chicago Fire. He played his first game for United on August 7 against Manchester City in the Community Shield. A week later, De Gea made his Premier League debut for Manchester Utd against West Bromwich Albion.
De Gea was given a new contract on July 3, 2019, in preparation for the 2019–20 season. As of July 15, 2019, talks were still in progress. On September 16, 2019, Manchester United announced that De Gea had signed a new four-year deal that kept him at the club until at least June 2023. On July 16, 2020, he also kept a clean sheet against Crystal Palace, which equaled Peter Schmeichel’s record for the most clean sheets by a club in the Premier League. On the last day of the 2019-20 Premier League season, De Gea kept his 113th clean sheet, breaking Schmeichel’s mark.
On October 16, 2022, the Spanish goalkeeper played his 500th game for Manchester United in all competitions. On February 12, 2023, he played his 400th Premier League game for Manchester United. No non-British player had ever played more games for one club. On February 26, 2023, he surpassed Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel’s long-standing record for the most clean sheets in Manchester United’s history. This happened after a 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the 2023 EFL Cup final, which was his 181st.
Spain’s National Team
In 2007, De Gea was a key member of Spain’s under-17 squad that won the European Championship and placed second at the World Cup. Vicente del Bosque, the senior team’s manager, announced the preliminary 30-man roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in early May 2010. He received a spot thanks to his outstanding play for Atlético.
During the 2012 Summer Olympics, De Gea was a member of the Spain Olympic squad.
De Gea was called to the Spanish national team on May 15, 2012, to play against Serbia and the People’s Republic of China.
Despite being on Del Bosque’s radar, he wasn’t included in the final roster of 23 players for Euro 2012. Although his team got eliminated in the group stage at the 2012 Summer Olympics, he played in all three of the team’s games.
De Gea got included in Spain’s preliminary 30-man squad for the 2014 World Cup on May 13. He went on to make the final lineup. On June 8, in a tune-up friendly against El Salvador, Spain winning 2-0, he made his senior national team debut. He was a late substitute for Iker Casillas in the game’s final seven minutes at FedExField in Washington, DC.
De Gea played his game for Spain’s senior team on September 4, 2014. His debut with the Spanish national team was on September 4, 2014.
On October 12, in UEFA Euro 2016 qualification, he made his competitive international debut, playing in and recording his first clean sheet in a 4-0 win away to Luxembourg.
Ahead of preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, he was named to the Spanish national team on May 21. On May 24, 2021, De Gea was selected to be a part of Luis Enrique’s 24-man team for UEFA Euro 2020; however, he was later replaced as the starting goalkeeper by Unai Simón. For the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Enrique chose to leave him off Spain’s lineup in favor of Simon, David Raya, and Robert Sánchez.
Why is David de Gea not playing for Spain?
Luis Enrique, the former Barcelona manager, explained in a news conference after the team was announced that De Gea was omitted because he didn’t fit their style of play.
Many modern goalkeepers need to be comfortable with the ball at their feet and confident in making plays under duress. De Gea was never skilled in this area, so he was not selected to play for the Spanish national team.
The 32-year-old has been considered one of the top goalkeepers in football throughout his time with his national team, with which he has made 45 appearances.
Is David de Gea married?
De Gea is married to a Spanish national and singer, Edurne. They both have a three-year-old girl named Yanay.
What is David de Gea’s net worth?
At the time of writing this article, David de Gea’s annual salary is estimated to be around €22,358,782.
The goalkeeper drives an SUV worth $50,000. De Gea’s house is worth over €2.7 million.
How much is David de Gea’s salary per week?
De Gea became the world’s highest-paid goalkeeper when United agreed to pay him £375,000 per week after signing his current contract in September 2019.
De Gea Goalkeeping Stats: Clean Sheets and Saves
As Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper, de Gea has made 535 appearances with 186 clean sheets. The Spaniard has made 1,133 saves and conceded 440 goals.
De Gea Goalkeeping Style
De Gea played futsal as an outfielder until he was 14. This helped him with his footwork, and he has also used some futsal goalkeeping methods in his game, which is visible in his ability to make quick saves with his legs.
Elegant and athletic, de Gea is known for his quick reactions, speed, and ability to stop shots between the posts. He also likes to save the ball with his feet, which allows him to make amazing dives and extraordinary saves. His unusual yet effective way of making saves with his feet is credited with changing goalkeeping.
De Gea also has excellent speed whenever he decides to rush off his line to face an opponent in one-on-one situations. This also allows him to utilize the sweeper-keeper skill.
Life Outside the Field
De Gea loves heavy metal music and is a huge fan of it, and one of his favorite bands is Avenged Sevenfold. In 2021, De Gea founded an eSports team named “Rebels Gaming.”
Honors, Awards, and Achievement
Atlético Madrid
- During his time as a goalkeeper for Atlético Madrid, de Gea won the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League:
- He also won the 2010 UEFA Super Cup with Atlético Madrid.
Manchester United
De Gea has won the following cup titles with Manchester United:
- 2012-13 Premier League title
- 2015-16 FA Cup
- EFL Cup: 2016–17, 2022–23
- Three FA Community Shield seasons: 2011, 2013, and 2016
- He won the 46th edition of the UEFA Europa League in 2016–17 and emerged as runner-up in the 2020–21 season.
Spain U17
As a goalkeeper for the Spain U17 team,
- De Gea was part of the team that won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Belgium in 2007.
- Runner-up in the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in South Korea
Spain U21
- David de Gea won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship twice (in 2011 and 2013) while playing as a goalkeeper for Spain U21.
- De Gea was part of Spain’s senior national team that emerged as runners-up in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.
Individual
The Manchester United goalkeeper has tons of individual awards to his name. They include:
- Winner of the Premier League Golden Glove for the 2017–18 season
- De Gea was the Premier League Player of the Month for January 2022.
- He won the Premier League Save of the Month for February 2023.
- The Man-U goalkeeper made it to the PFA Team of the Year for the 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18 seasons.
- De Gea was nominated for the PFA Fans’ Award as the English Premier League Player of the Month for November 2014.
- Listed in the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season for the 2015-16 season
- He was included in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2011, 2013
- The Spanish footballer was included in the 2018 FIFA FIFPro World 11.
- He was declared Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for the 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, and 2017–18 seasons.
- De Gea was selected as Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year for 2013–14, 2014–15, 2017–18, and 2021–22.
Fun Facts About David de Gea
- Did you know that David de Gea wears contact lenses during matches? The Spanish-born goalkeeper was diagnosed with an eye defect known as hyperopia, which describes farsightedness. As a result, De Gea could only see distant objects more clearly than objects close to him.
- When David de Gea was a kid, he utilized his height to play basketball.
- The Manchester United goalkeeper inherited goalkeeping prowess from his father.
- Although de Gea currently plays in goalkeeping, growing up, he could play in the defense and midfield positions.
- After De Gea’s first season at Manchester United, the goalkeeper thought about leaving the club.
- In the 2019–20 season, De Gea made a series of errors against Crystal Palace, Watford, and Everton. As a result, United fans began to request that Dean Henderson be made Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper.
