- Planet Sport writer
- 9 August 2024
David De Gea returns to football after joining Fiorentina
Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has made his football comeback by agreeing a one-year deal with Fiorentina.
David de Gea is a goalkeeper who is currently plays for Fiorentina and was part of Spanish national side.
He has won two Europa League titles, one Premier League crown, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
De Gea began his career at Atletico Madrid, making his senior debut against Porto at the age of 18 on September 30, 2009. He made eight appearances in Europe in the 2009/10 season, including in the 2-1 win over Fulham in the Europa League final.
De Gea joined Man United in June 2011 for a fee in the region of £17million - a British record for a goalkeeper at the time. He overcame a difficult first season in the Premier League to establish himself as the club's main goalkeeper.
In 2017, the Spaniard became the first player to win United's Player of the Year award three times in a row. Twelve months later, he won the Golden Glove with a total of 18 clean sheets.
He broke Peter Schmeichel's Manchester United clean sheet record in February 2023, and then went on to win the Golden Glove for the second time.
In summer 2023, De Gea's contract at Manchester United expired and he left the club. He had made 545 appearances in all competitions for United and was seventh on the club's all-time appearance list.
After spending a year without a club, he agreed a one-year deal with Fiorentina in August 2024.
De Gea made his international debut in June 2014 and went on to represent Spain at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, but was left out of the 2022 World Cup squad and 2024 Euros.
Early Atletico Madrid days
De Gea began his career at Atletico Madrid, making his senior debut in September 2009 against Porto in the Champions League. The 19-year-old goalkeeper became a regular starter in the final weeks of the 2009/10 campaign.
He also made eight appearances in Europe, including in the 2-1 Europa League final win over Fulham.
Early in the 2010/11 season, De Gea saved a penalty from Diego Milito as Atletico beat Inter Milan 2-0 to win the UEFA Super Cup. In November, he earned plaudits for an impressive display against rivals Real Madrid.
"In Spain, we are lucky to have very good goalkeepers and De Gea soon might be fighting my place in the team," said Iker Casillas, Spain's first choice goalkeeper at the time. De Gea played every league match as Atletico finished seventh.
Man United's main man
De Gea joined Man United in 2011 and made his debut against Manchester City on August 7 in the Community Shield.
However, his first season in English football was a difficult one and he came under pressure after a series of errors. He was dropped after a poor performance against Blackburn Rovers, with Anders Lindegaard taking his place.
"All keepers make mistakes once in a while and none of us like to when we do," he said in an interview. "I want to become a great United keeper and I want to earn and deserve the respect I hope to get."
In February 2012, De Gea returned to the side in a 3-3 draw with Chelsea after Lindegaard had suffered an injury. He made a fine stop to deny Juan Mata late on and kept his place for the rest of the season.
In the 2012/13 campaign, De Gea kept 11 clean sheets in 28 appearances as United reclaimed the Premier League title, finishing 11 points above second-placed Man City.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised the goalkeeper for his performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 in the same season, saying he had "come of age" and it had turned him from "villain to hero".
De Gea was also named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
In 2016, De Gea won his first FA Cup with United after a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the final. The goalkeeper made a crucial stop in the semi-final to deny Everton's Romelu Lukaku from the spot.
De Gea kept 15 clean sheets in the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign, narrowly missing out on the Golden Glove award to Arsenal's Petr Cech. He also became the first player to win Manchester United's Player of the Year award three years in a row.
In 2017, the Spaniard won the Europa League for the second time in his career following a 2-0 win over Ajax in the final. United also won the League Cup after edging a thrilling final against Southampton at Wembley.
A year later, De Gea won the Golden Glove award for the first time after keeping 18 clean sheets in the 2017/18 Premier League season.
He won the Golden Glove again and the FA Cup in the 2022/23 season in what would be his final year at Old Trafford.
The 32-year-old’s contract with United expired at the end of June 2023, with no new deal agreed despite talks that took place throughout the season.
De Gea said: “I would like to express my unwavering gratitude and appreciation for the love from the last 12 years. We’ve achieved a lot since my dear Sir Alex Ferguson brought me to this club.
“I took incredible pride every time I pulled on this shirt, to lead the team, to represent this institution, the biggest club in the world was an honour only bestows upon a few lucky footballers.
“It’s been an unforgettable and successful period since I came here. I didn’t think from leaving Madrid as a young boy we would achieve what we did together.
“Manchester will always be in my heart, Manchester has shaped me and will never leave me. We’ve seen it all.”
United boss Erik ten Hag said: “It takes great quality and character to reach the level of even playing one game for Manchester United.
“To do it 545 times over 12 years is a special achievement, particularly in the goalkeeping position where every game puts you in the spotlight.
“To have won Player of the Year awards from both the fans and his team-mates, each on four occasions, shows the level of his performance and he will always be remembered as one of the very best goalkeepers in the history of the club.
“I am personally grateful for the 25 clean sheets he helped provide last season and his overall contribution on the pitch during my first year at the club.
“All the players and staff send him our very best wishes for the next phase of his outstanding career.”
Big boots to fill for Spain
De Gea's first taste of international success came in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17s Championship, which Spain won. They also finished second in the U-17 World Cup in the same year.
The goalkeeper was named in the provisional Spain squad for the 2010 World Cup but he did not make the final cut. However, in 2011, he was part of the Spanish squad that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championships.
Twelve months later, he was called up for the 2012 Olympics in London. De Gea was part of the side that retained the European Under-21 Championships in 2013 and he made the senior squad for the 2014 World Cup.
He made his senior debut as a substitute in a warm-up game against El Salvador on 8 June, 2014, but did not feature in the tournament in Brazil.
In October 2014, De Gea made his competitive debut in a 4-0 win over Luxembourg in a Euro 2016 qualifier. The goalkeeper kept his place in the side and started all four of Spain's Euro 2016 matches. Vicente del Bosque's side were knocked out by Italy in the round of 16.
De Gea was also a regular starter at the 2018 World Cup as Spain fell at the Round of 16 stage once again, this time losing on penalties to hosts Russia
He was included in the Spain squad for Euro 2020, but lost his started place to Unai Simon, and was then left out of the 2022 World Cup squad.
Personal life
De Gea was born in Madrid and grew up in nearby Illescas. He has been dating Spanish singer, actress and presenter Edurne Garcia since 2010, who he married in 2023.
The couple had their first child, Yanay, in March 2021.
Away from football, the goalkeeper is a fan of heavy metal music, with Avenged Sevenfold cited as one of his favourite bands.
In 2011, he was involved in a bizarre story after allegedly stealing a Krispy Kreme donut from a supermarket near Manchester. It turned out to be a misunderstanding.
He also suffers from hypermetropia, but this doesn't affect his performances.
David De Gea's net worth
In September 2019, De Gea signed a contract extension with Manchester United worth £19.5million annually, which made him the highest-paid goalkeeper in world football.
The Spaniard has also earned £3.5million through endorsement deals with the likes of Adidas, Pepsi and EA Sports. The sportswear giants released a special pair of goalkeeping gloves in his honour in 2019 to celebrate his 100th Premier League clean sheet.
De Gea ranked 67th in Forbes' World's Highest Paid Athletes list for 2020.
