David de Gea Quintana (born 7 November 1990 in Madrid) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid, as a goalkeeper. A product of Atlético de Madrid's youth teams, De Gea spent his first professional seasons with the reserves, in Segunda División B. As first-choice Sergio Asenjo was away on international duty, he received his first main side call-ups. On September 30, 2009, he replaced injured Roberto during the UEFA Champions League contest at F.C. Porto, in an eventual 0–2 loss, not yet aged 19. Three days later, De Gea made his first division debuts, at home against Real Zaragoza, he gave away a penalty kick in the 19th minute, but saved the ensuing Marko Babić attempt, in an eventual 2–1 triumph. After some costly mistakes by Asenjo, and the arrival of Quique Sánchez Flores as manager, he finished the season as the starter – twice earning Man of the match awards along the way, against Athletic Bilbao and Valencia CF. Additionally, he appeared in eight games in the club's victorious UEFA Europa League campaign, including the 2–1 final win against Fulham. De Gea started 2010–11 in impressive fashion, helping Atlético win the season's UEFA Super Cup: in the 90th minute of the 2–0 win against F.C. Internazionale Milano, he saved a Diego Milito penalty kick.
PLEASE HELP US SHARE THIS ARTICLE
About the Author
