A broken fax machine. The wrong .pdf file. Two things that — thankfully — were to blame for Manchester United’s David De Gea failed move to Real Madrid on deadline day 2015. There’s even a holiday celebrated by United fans to commemorate that huge day.
United accidentally holding on to David De Gea was huge. In a time where there was so much uncertainty surrounding the club, having a world-class player between the sticks brought some ease to the worried fans.
The Spaniard is finally being recognized as one of the games best — although United fans have known his worth since he single-handedly saved United 2014/15 season — as he has made the 30 man short list for France Football’s Ballon d’Or award.
De Gea is joined by two other goalkeepers on the list. Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid and the the legend Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus.
Manchester United fans should cherish every moment that De Gea is on the pitch for us, there are constant rumors speculating that Madrid could swoop for him at any time.
The 26-year old was considered a flop when Sir Alex bought him for €25m from Atletico Madrid. Six years on, he has more than exceeded all expectations set for him.
United have a history of fantastic goalkeepers, and De Gea rightfully on that list thanks to his heroics for the past three seasons.
Manchester United’s official website said this on De Gea’s nomination:
"“Universally acknowledged as one of the best keepers on the planet, he has previously missed out on a place on the list, perhaps surprisingly, but was confirmed on Monday as one of the players in contention for this year’s prize.”"
There was feeling around Old Trafford that if United didn’t improve, it would be a matter of when and not if De Gea would leave.
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Thankfully, that feeling is gone. Manchester United are playing like the United of old — and De Gea has played a huge part of that.
His willingness to stay through the tough times showed other star players that the red side of Manchester was building something special. It easily could have influenced Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s decision to sign with United.
As United fans we have become numb to the mind-bending, incredible saves our amazing keeper makes. On his day, Manuel Neuer might be the only other goalkeeper that can keep up with him — maybe.
He’s the No. 1 for both his club and country, but he won’t win the Ballon d’Or this year — or probably ever. Let Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi battle for that.
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However, this nomination only solidifies what the Old Trafford faithful have known for years — De Gea is one of the best in the world. We shouldn’t take that for granted; especially after how close we came to losing him.