Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has guarded the net at Old Trafford for more than 11 years and ahead of last weekend’s clash with Newcastle United, the Spaniard was honoured for reaching an extraordinary milestone.
As expected, De Gea was named in the starting eleven and that meant that he would be making his 500th appearance for the club, just over 11 years since his debut in 2011.
Ahead of the game, De Gea was honoured on the pitch by several United greats, including Sir Alex Ferguson and Alex Stepney. Later that evening, he would keep his 170th clean sheet for the Reds.
After the game, De Gea took to social media as he reacted to becoming only the 11th player to reach this milestone in United’s long history.
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) October 16, 2022
“Today marked an unbelievable day for, I came here from Spain 11 years ago and now I call this my home,” he wrote on Twitter.
“To represent any club 500 times is special but to play for this club, the greatest football club in the world fills me with great emotion. I want to think everyone that has helped me along the way, my family especially.
“I want to make many more special moments here but now we focus on the next game and keep pushing this club to where we want to be.”
SN’s verdict…
De Gea has less than one year remaining on his current deal at United and it remains to be seen whether he is rewarded with fresh terms but it cannot be denied that if he leaves, he will depart as one of the all-time great servants.
He was comfortably the best goalkeeper in the world for a number of years but unfortunately, his spell at United has not been as successful as his career has deserved in terms of trophies.
