David De Gea proved against Sevilla last week why he is the best goalkeeper in the world. I take a look at some key moments and opportunities the Spaniard took on his journey to become the world number one.
Manchester United have a lot to thank that fax machine for. As once again, Old Trafford is home to a player worthy of labelling world-class. For the first time since Cristiano Ronaldo danced across the hallowed turf, Manchester United have a player that is the outstanding world footballer in a position.
How David De Gea has changed the game
When you watch attacks unfold and a situation arises where a player is destined to score, there is a split-second before the player takes on the chance where you automatically assume: “Goal”. David De Gea is starting to change the automatic assumptions made by the human brain when you watch a football match.
Last Wednesday typified the aura that glows around David De Gea. When Luis Muriel found himself five yards out in front of goal against the spread-eagled man in green, everyone watching automatically assumed he would find the net. But due to De Gea’s excellence, the ball did not make its way into the goal.
De Gea has saved Manchester United on countless occasions. And on so many of those occasions, every fan has assumed: “Goal”. But I have started to think: “But he couldn’t, could he?!” David De Gea has changed the game.
However, it wasn’t always like that. When a scrawny, blonde and bushy-haired 20 year old arrived at Old Trafford, there were big shoes to fill. Legends such as Peter Schmeichel and Edwin Van Der Sar needed to be lived up to. And he didn’t get off to a great start.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing at United for De Gea
The former Atletico goalkeeper was getting regular stick for his weakness on crosses. De Gea would get nudged off the ball far too easily. And often this would lead to a goal, in a world where goalkeepers get overprotected.
In his first season in England, De Gea conceded 26 goals in his first 19 games. Compare that to last season where he conceded only 29 in the whole league campaign. This shows the measure of improvement he’s made. The steely mindset not to give in when he could have easily returned to sunny Madrid.
Credit to Sir Alex Ferguson who trusted former Manchester United goalkeeping coach, Eric Steele, to choose De Gea. Sir Alex went to great lengths himself to see De Gea play. Eric Steele once reminisced how Ferguson only ever missed two United games, one of those was to see De Gea play.
"“I can only remember Sir Alex Ferguson missing two United matches. He missed a Manchester derby in 2000 for his son’s wedding. The other time? To scout the brilliant David de Gea. We needed to be ready for the day Edwin van der Sar retired, when I joined in 2008. I was convinced that a 19-year-old De Gea was the right man to replace him. I showed a three-minute DVD compilation to Sir Alex and then we went to watch him play for Atletico Madrid at Valencia on the night United played Scunthorpe in the League Cup. Sir Alex knew he was the right signing inside 65 minutes.”"
David De Gea vs Manuel Neuer
Like when De Gea first arrived in England, Manuel Neuer also had big shoes to fill when signed for Bayern. German and Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn retired in 2008. And it wasn’t until 2011 when a ready-made replacement emerged.
Ironically it was against Manchester United in the Champions League where Neuer announced himself to the world. He performed outstandingly in the first leg to deny United on countless occasions before Giggs broke the deadlock on 67 minutes.
But Neuer stood out in an era with Valdes, Casillas, Buffon, Lloris and the new kid De Gea. He brought a new trait to goalkeeping not used regularly on the world stage. The sweeper keeper.
The sweeper was famously used in Italy in the 1960’s. Inter Milan captain Armando Picchi occupied the role which roamed across the back line sweeping up the ball. However, the position fizzled out of modern football, last being used by Traianos Dellas in Greece’s Euro 2004 win. But, Manuel Neuer relit the fire for the sweeper in the hands of goalkeepers.
With so many goalkeepers following suit, it could have been easy for De Gea to sit in a band of world-class keepers below the German. But De Gea wanted to showcase a trait he had mastered which no other goalkeeper could match. Not just the use of his feet with the ball but his use of his feet to save it too. Despite this working against him originally, with some pundits saying the Spaniard was better with his feet than his hands, it got people talking about the potential he had.
As both continued performing week in week out for their clubs, the 2014 World Cup loomed. A chance for both to showcase their tricks on the world stage. But unfortunately, the two keepers couldn’t have endured more contrasting tournaments. Spain crashed out at the Group stages and the Germans lifted the Jules Rimet for the fourth time.
Manchester United’s slump highlighted David De Gea’s brilliance
Manchester United started to decline as well. With managers changing so was the squad and the defence too. United have signed seven defenders since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013 but one mainstay, David De Gea.
In that same time, De Gea has been brutally pummelled with shots. Up until Jose Mourinho arrived and tightly sealed the defence, De Gea was being asked to save United on countless occasions. In the three years David De Gea has won the ‘Sir Matt Busby Player Of The Year’ award at Old Trafford he was making on average 2.4 saves per game.
Although Manchester United were struggling to compete on the world stage at this time, De Gea certainly wasn’t. Every week, people were being reminded what an outstanding goalkeeper he was, just when Manuel Neuer was reaching semi-finals of the Champions League with Bayern Munich too.
World class talent will gather the attention of world-class teams. Real Madrid, the club of De Gea’s hometown, came calling. A faulty fax machine was all that stopped him from joining Los Blancos on deadline day in August 2015.
Neuer’s injury gave De Gea a chance
Manuel Neuer has now missed 46 games due to two fractured foot injuries with the first sustained at the back-end of April 2017. This has given the chance for David De Gea. And he has sure taken it!
Neuer’s injury has also coincided with Manchester United’s rise to the top again. Jose Mourinho’s men are now competing on the biggest stage, the Champions League. And despite the Madrid-born keeper facing fewer shots now, his concentration has to be of the highest level to keep out a loose chance United give away.
The only thing that remains for David De Gea is for him to be recognised worldwide as the number one. Despite receiving no votes in the ‘FIFA Best Goalkeeper’ award in 2017, further progress this season in the Champions League and a strong World Cup and he will surely be recognised.
Last week he was awarded the ‘Player Of The Week’ award for the round of matches in the Champions League. Messi, Suarez and Iniesta were all snubbed ahead of De Gea.
Memories
David De Gea’s performances in the clubs biggest domestic fixture standout. If you perform against Liverpool you go a long way to securing your name in the Red Devils’ history books. In 2014/15 United ran out 3-0 winners but De Gea saved numerous shots from the likes of Sterling, Balotelli and co. In October 2016 De Gea was once again a standout as he kept the score at 0-0, including an outrageous leap to deny Coutinho. And finally this season once again, hamstring stretched his big toe kept out Joel Matip on the goal line.
De Gea has also come to United’s rescue in many other crucial fixtures down the years, including a last-minute free-kick save against Chelsea in 2012 and the bombardment he faced at the Emirates in 2014/15 and 2017/18.
As David De Gea’s journey to the top still continues and the debate of whether or not he has surpassed Schmeichel as Manchester United’s greatest ever goalkeeper starts to surface, all we can do is remind ourselves of the moments one of the worlds greatest ever goalkeepers has produced for this historic club.