Top 10 things you didn’t know about David De Gea

David De Gea is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, period. Being out of form for just one season doesn’t take away the fact that he is excellent between the posts.

De Gea joined Manchester United for a £19m fee in 2011 from Atletico Madrid, a record fee paid for a goalkeeper in Britain. Following a rocky start to his career at Old Trafford, the Spaniard has gone on to win the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award thrice in succession.

While he remains one of the most beloved and popular figures at the club right now, let’s have a look at ten things even his biggest fans might not know about him.

10. How Atletico Madrid signed David De Gea
David De Gea was destined for greatness. This statement was justified by the way Atletico Madrid managed to sign him.

When he was 13, the then-Atleti manager, Juan-Luis Martin, was convinced he would make it as a professional player. While the Rojiblancos were in pursuit of the shot-stopper, they weren’t quick enough in their attempts to sign him.

In order to speed up things, the manager lied to the Atletico board saying that Rayo Vallecano had made an approach for De Gea. Not only an approach, he also said that they were on the verge of signing him.

Following this conversation, Atletico quickly snapped up De Gea and secured their future for a short term.9. David De Gea has hyperopia
David De Gea suffers from a condition called Hyperopia, meaning farsightedness. The 28-year-old is able to see distant things more clearly than anyone else but has a problem viewing those things clearly that are closer to him.

However, the Spaniard has never complained of his vision being an obstacle when he is playing football. Off the pitch, he uses to glasses to cover up his problem while on it he uses contact lenses.

Imagine making 14 saves against mighty teams like Arsenal and Tottenham with contact lenses in his eyes. Absolute beast!8. He is best friends with Sergio Aguero
Given that he plays for Manchester United, it is but natural to imagine David De Gea being best buddies with someone from the squad itself. The Spaniard is well-known to be good friends with Juan Mata and ex-United player Ander Herrera at Old Trafford. However, off the pitch, he also shares a very healthy friendship with Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero.

The Argentinian has struck a bond with David De Gea ever since their days together at Atletico Madrid. Fast forward, the bitter rivalry between the Manchester clubs has done little to tarnish their friendship.

However, when it comes to facing each other, Aguero comes out on top against his best friend. The City forward has netted 8 goals past his Spanish mate.

Of all the things De Gea could forgive Aguero for, those goals definitely aren’t on the list.7. He wasn’t a goalkeeper at the start
When footballers start their careers at a tender age, their positions aren’t defined. They go through years of practice and experiments before they find a position they fit in perfectly.

As it happens, David De Gea wasn’t the Super Dave shot-stopper back in school. He played as a striker. Not just that, he also topped the scoring charts and was a prolific striker until the age of 14.

That explains why he is so good at beating strikers in his own box. Atletico had probably hoped to get a striker but signed a goalkeeper instead!6. He could have signed for Queens Park Rangers
When he was 18, English side Queens Park Rangers had already made attempts to sign David De Gea. Had he accepted the offer, the 28-year-old would have had a taste of English football much earlier than he actually did.

The Championship side approached De Gea when he was plying his trade for Atletico B team, just a year after signing a professional contract with the club, in the summer of 2009.

However, De Gea decided to stay put and went on to make his debut for the first team in a Champions League loss against Porto. It wasn’t a bad decision, after all, was it? 5. It wasn’t only OPR who wanted him!
A year after QPR’s failed attempt to sign him, Premier League side Wigan Athletic decided to try their luck at signing De Gea. However, they too met the same fate as the Championship side.

Roberto Martinez, the current coach of Belgian, was the manager of the Latics back then. He had claimed that an agreement between Wigan and Atletico had been chiselled out. However, the move failed to materialise as it fell on the final day of the window.

In staying put, De Gea was right for the second time!4. De Gea is a silent leader
There’s often a misconception that being a leader means you must be vocal about certain things. David De Gea proves that dictum wrong efficiently.

When it comes to legendary shot-stoppers, the likes of Peter Schemeichel and Oliver Kahn are known for tearing apart defenders when they committed mistakes. De Gea, however, prefers to operate in a calmer manner when it comes to defensive errors.

Speaking to Thierry Henry on Sky Sports, he said,

“After a great save or a mistake by a defender I prefer not to shout on him, I prefer to wait and say it inside of the dressing room.”

“I was always like that. I am relaxed, I try to be normal after a mistake, and when I make a mistake I don’t want people coming to me on the pitch shouting at me. So I try to do the same with my players, to give confidence to them. That’s it, it’s football, you have to make mistakes, it’s normal.”

Already eligible for the armband, isn’t he? 3. The transfer to Real Madrid
Real Madrid have a notorious reputation for poaching the best players from other clubs. Coming to Manchester United, Los Merengues have already stolen David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past.

In 2015, Florentino Perez came knocking the doors at Old Trafford yet again, this time for David De Gea. The Spaniard was at the height of his powers, shining like the only beacon of hope in dark times at Old Trafford.

After courting him for almost two seasons, Los Blancos had finally managed to crack a deal for De Gea in lieu for Keylor Navas and £29m fee. However, the transfer failed to go through on the deadline day that summer, thanks to a dodgy fax machine that delayed paperwork.

De Gea signed a contract eleven days after the transfer window slammed shut penning a new four-year deal. As for that fax machine, hope Manchester United never repair it!2. His music taste
David De Gea is a calming presence on and off the pitch and in the dressing room as well. However, very few are aware that the Spaniard is a big fan of heavy metal genre – a kind of music that hardly goes with his appearance.

Apparently, the 28-year-old is a big fan of Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold and has been sighted at their concerts whenever they are in town. In the dressing room, however, De Gea is hardly allowed to put on his favourite songs.

In an interview in 2014, he said,

“I like metal and rock bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Metallica.

“When I put it on in the dressing room, everyone moans. Most of the other players are into hip-hop.”

For that matter, De Gea’s girlfriend Edurne Garcia is also a famous singer who has represented Spain at an international level.1. How important he was to Sir Alex Ferguson
When it comes to spotting talented youngsters and nurturing them, few have done it better than Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scottish manager had a knack for spotting raw talent and was right yet again, like so many times before, when he decided to move for a 19-year-old David De Gea.

Known as a strict disciplinarian, Sir Alex missed only three games in his 26-year-career as a Manchester United manager.
One of them was for his son’s wedding. One was for his brother’s wife’s funeral. The remaining one was to scout David De Gea.

The Scottish gaffer apparently found it more important to watch De Gea playing Valencia than watching his own team facing Scunthorpe on the same day. It took him 65 minutes to be convinced about making a bid for the Spaniard back then.

The following summer, Manchester United signed David De Gea for £19m. The rest, as they say, is history.