David de Gea Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About David de Gea

• David de Gea is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

• He is known for his shot-stopping ability between the posts, especially with his feet.
  

• His speed while rushing off his line in one-on-one situations makes him a sweeper-keeper.

• In childhood, he was trained by his father who was also a goalkeeper.

• While growing up, he admired Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.

• He started playing football at the age of nine while he was studying at the Casarrubuelos school, where he played in different positions including as a striker.
  

  David de Gea’s childhood photo

• Until the age of 14, De Gea played futsal as an outfield player, and it helped his footwork immensely. He is known for using various futsal goalkeeping techniques in his play style.

• Apart from football, he played a lot of basketball at school.

• At the age of thirteen, he joined Atlético de Madrid, where he sharpened his skills for the game. Reportedly, his then-coach Juan Luis Martín lied to the club that De Gea was about to sign Rayo Vallecano.
  

  A photo of David de Gea from his junior club days

• He was part of Spain’s under-17 team that won the 2007 European Championship. He also helped the team finish second at the 2007 World Cup.

• In 2008, at the age of 17, he signed his first professional contract with Atlético.

• In 2009, Spanish club Numancia and English team Queens Park Rangers approached him to join them, but De Gea rejected the offer.

• On 30 September 2009, at the age of 18, De Gea debuted for the Atlético first-team against Porto as a substitute after Roberto was injured in the UEFA Champions League group stage match.
  

  David de Gea during his Champions League debut for Atlético in 2009

• In June 2011, he played for the Spain under-21 team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

• In 2011, he became the most expensive goalkeeper in British football history after he joined Manchester United for a record transfer fee of £18.9 million (Rs. 196 crore).

• In 2011, when he moved to England to join Manchester United, he faced difficulty in learning the new language. Eric Steele, the goalkeeping coach, once described him as “lazy” when it comes to learning English and said that De Gea had a habit of “training poorly” as well as eating “too many tacos.”

• Eric Steele is considered an almost paternal figure for De Gea. Steele played a crucial role in improving De Gea’s goalkeeping skills.
  

  David de Gea with Eric Steele

• After joining Manchester United, De Gea went on to become one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, and with his stunning saves and consistent performances, he won many tournaments for United including the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Europa League.

• He is often compared with Dutch soccer goalkeeper Van der Sar due to which he has been dubbed “Van der Gea.”

• He had a difficult first season (2011-12) with United as the club lost 6-1 to its rival Manchester City; it was Manchester United’s worst home defeat since 1955.

• In the same season, the club also suffered a 3-2 defeat against Blackburn Rovers. Many media outlets blamed De Gea for failing to deal with an aerial ball following which he was dropped and replaced by United’s second-choice goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard.
  

  David de Gea in a match against Blackburn Rovers that Manchester United lost in 2011

• De Gea once admitted that after a difficult first season with United, he had started thinking about leaving the club.

• In January 2012, he revealed that he was diagnosed with a farsighted eye condition, hyperopia. He has roughly worn glasses throughout his life and wears contact lenses during matches.
  

  David de Gea wearing glasses

• He was part of the Spanish senior team at the 2012 Summer Olympics; however, the team was eliminated in the group stage.

• In 2013, he was part of the Spain under-21 team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

• On 11 September 2015, Manchester United signed him for a new four-year deal. In the same month, he captained Manchester United for the first time in the third round of the League Cup.

• Although De Gea was included in Spain’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, his performance was heavily criticised as he made only one save in the tournament. He later criticised the Adidas Telstar 18 official match ball and called it “really strange.”
  

  David de Gea saving a goal during a match in the 2018 FIFA World Cup

• In September 2019, Manchester United again signed him for a new four-year deal.

• During the 2019-20 season, De Gea committed a series of errors following which fans started calling for Dean Henderson to be made Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper.

• He was excluded from the Spain squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

• After playing 545 games in all competitions for Manchester United, his contract at the club expired on 1 July 2023, making him the seventh all-time appearance-maker for the club.

• Being a passionate esports gamer, De Gea set up his own team named Rebels Gaming in November 2021. Headquartered in Madrid, De Gea is the founder and president of Rebels Gaming.

• He likes to play drums. In an interview, he revealed that his girlfriend once gifted him drums following which he started practicing them.
  

  David de Gea playing the drums

• He loves cycling, and he often goes for a family bike ride.
  

  David de Gea cycling with his daughter

• He is often spotted smoking e-cigarettes and consuming alcoholic beverages.
  

  De Gea leaves a Manchester bar with the E-Cigarette

  

  De Gea enjoying wine with his wife