David De Gea is probably one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the best.
Manchester United had the Spanish shot-stopper to thank on Wednesday night after he pulled off a string of superb saves to deny Sevilla the chance to end the first leg of their Champions League tie with an advantage.
The Sevilla - Man United goalless draw at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium last night left fans in awe, courtesy of De Gea’s world-class performance against top opposition.
The Spaniard’s wonder save kept Man United in the tie, more importantly, kept the home side from scoring. However, Man United failed to get an away goal which usually counts as double in the Champions League knockout rounds.
De Gea’s performance last night surely put him up there with the best in the world, even though some fans would disagree with the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Juventus’ Gianluigi Buffon still around.
Perhaps De Gea’s highlight last night was that one-handed save from point-blank range to deny Muriel a free header. The Sevilla man even acknowledged the fact that it was a good save – followed De Gea into the tunnel at halftime to congratulate him.
Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico went down on his knees in disbelief after ‘Dave’ saved Muriel’s header, probably thinking how in the world the Man United goalkeeper kept it out.
Were it not for the mediocre Sevilla strike force and De Gea’s stellar performance, Man United would have ruled themselves out of the Champions League by the end of the first half.
De Gea was not a darling of the Man United faithful when he signed. Former defender Rio Ferdinand revealed that at the time when Dave signed, players in the dressing room were not sure whether he was the right fit for Man United.
“We were talking before, when he first came, even as players we were sitting there with doubts really. A young kid just coming to Manchester United, and we needed to win every year. How were we going to do that with a young kid, who was inexperienced and looked like he was lacking confidence?” Ferdinand explained to BT Sport.
But look at him now. He has spent the last two seasons playing hide and seek with Real Madrid because of his quality. A faulty fax machine on transfer deadline day compounded him to play for the Red Devils, even though it seemed likely that he would join Los Blancos. He moved on from this setback and dedicated his life to playing for the badge at Old Trafford and is now one of the world’s most sought goalkeepers.
Social media was crazy after the match last night, with fans praising De Gea’s performances, some even suggesting that the Spaniard could have stopped world-shaking events if given the chance.
What could have David De Gea stopped? Give us your thoughts…
