David de Gea

By Craig · Published 9 November 2026

David de Gea arrived at Manchester United as a slight 20-year-old and had a miserable first six months. He left 12 seasons later with 545 appearances, a league title and four player of the year awards. In between, a move to Real Madrid collapsed on deadline day, and United kept the goalkeeper who carried them through the years after Ferguson.

Clubs

Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Fiorentina

Premier League

415 appearances, 0 goals

Honours

Premier League 2012/13, FA Cup 2015/16, League Cup 2016/17 and 2022/23, Europa League 2009/10 (Atlético Madrid) and 2016/17, Premier League Golden Glove 2017/18 and 2022/23

International

45 Spain caps

Fantasy price

£6.0m in 2011/12

How he arrived

De Gea was born in Madrid, grew up in Illescas and joined Atlético Madrid at 13. He made his first-team debut at 18, as a substitute in a Champions League game at Porto in September 2009. By the end of 2010 he had a Europa League winner's medal and a Super Cup.

When Edwin van der Sar retired, Sir Alex Ferguson chose de Gea to replace him. United signed him on 29 June 2011 for about £18.9m, then a British record for a goalkeeper.

The start was rough. He was criticised for both Manchester City goals in the Community Shield, and on his Premier League debut at West Brom a tame Shane Long shot slipped under him. Ferguson said he weighed just 71 kilos, so the club changed his diet and added gym work. Mistakes in Basel, where United went out of the Champions League, and in a New Year's Eve home defeat to Blackburn cost him his place to Anders Lindegaard. Goalkeeping coach Eric Steele later said: "His first six months were horrendous."

The way back came at Stamford Bridge on 5 February 2012. With Lindegaard injured, de Gea kept out a late Juan Mata free kick and United drew 3-3. Steele called it a turning point. Ferguson said: "David has stood up as a man." A year later he was a champion, with 11 clean sheets in 28 league games as United won Ferguson'slast title by 11 points.

The moment: Arsenal, 2 December 2017

United went to the Emirates, started fast and scored twice early. After that, Arsenal spent most of the game trying to get past de Gea, and managed it only once. Jesse Lingard scored twice and Antonio Valencia once, and United won 3-1 even after Paul Pogba was sent off.

De Gea made 14 saves. That equalled the Premier League record for a single match, shared by Tim Krul and Vito Mannone. He was named man of the match.

His own explanation was simple. "Sometimes, you just start a game with a really good save, with a good feeling," he said afterwards.

It was the peak of his best season. He finished 2017/18 with 18 clean sheets and the Golden Glove, his fifth place in the PFA Team of the Year, and a fourth Sir Matt Busby award. "I didn't expect to win this one," he said when he collected it. "I have four, it's amazing for me."

Why he never went to Madrid

Two years earlier, he had nearly gone home. On 31 August 2015, the last day of the Spanish window, United and Real Madrid agreed a deal worth about £29m, with Keylor Navas going the other way.

It collapsed because the paperwork wasn't completed before the Spanish window closed. The clubs then blamed each other in public statements. United said they had uploaded their documents two minutes before the deadline. Madrid said United had left it too late. In Spain it is remembered as the night of the fax.

De Gea spent it at his house in Madrid, waiting. "There were a million phone calls," he said later. "It was a very odd night." On 11 September he signed a new four-year contract at Old Trafford. His best years were still to come.

Why the streets won't forget

Ferguson retired after the 2012/13 title, and United spent the next decade working through managers. De Gea was the constant. He won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2017/18, and was the first player to win it three seasons running. When he won it for the fourth time, nobody in the club's history had won it more often.

He was in the PFA Team of the Year five times. His two Golden Gloves came five years apart: 18 clean sheets in 2017/18, then 17 in 2022/23, his last season. He also played for Spain at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.

For a retro squad, he's a goalkeeper you can rely on to play. He started all 38 league matches in four of his 12 seasons. And in the years when United weren't very good, he was rarely short of work.

Where is he now

United let his contract run out in the summer of 2023 after talks over a new deal broke down. His departure was confirmed on 8 July. Then he spent a year without a club.

Fiorentina signed him on 9 August 2024. Two months later he saved two penalties in a 2-1 win over AC Milan, and he finished the season in the Serie A Team of the Season. In May 2025 he signed a new contract to June 2028.

As of November 2026 he is still Fiorentina's first-choice goalkeeper and captain. He turned 36 on 7 November and was in goal for a 2-2 draw with Juventus the following night. Italian reports this autumn say the club are already planning for life after him, with Tommaso Martinelli lined up as his successor. Coach Paolo Vanoli has been clear about the present: "De Gea is my captain, there's no question about it."

Which seasons can you draft him in?

Want him behind your back four? Draft a squad from 2011/12.