Nickname
Teammates from the Atletico Madrid Academy used to call him 'Van der Sar' because of the similarity with Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar. Manchester United supporters also make that connection, calling him 'Van de Gea' . (divinity.es, 20 Jan 2011)
Hobbies
Listening to music. (youtube.com, Interview, 17 Nov 2010)
Occupation
Athlete
Club name
Manchester United, England
Coach
Alex Ferguson [club], Luis Milla [national] (manutd.com, 03 Jan 2012; fifa.com, 21 Jun 2012)
Position and style
Goalkeeper (as.com, 21 May 2012)
Debut
2012 [senior] for Spain (guardian.co.uk, 15 May 2012)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
He began playing football at age four at the Escuela Casarrubuelos in Madrid, Spain. He quickly joined Atletico de Madrid and is considered a product of the club's youth academy. (daviddegea.es, 2009; manutd.com, 2012)
Ambitions
To win a medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (marca.com, 03 Jun 2012)
Hero
Goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon and Peter Schmeichel. (elpais.com, 28 Mar 2010; youtube.com, Interview, 17 Nov 2010)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"During hard times you have to look forward and keep on fighting. Take nothing for granted. Luck doesn't exist in football. You have to make the most out of every opportunity." (elpais.com, 28 Mar 2010)
Awards
He was named one of three goalkeepers in the 23-man Team of the Tournament at the 2011 European U21 Championships. (uefa.com, 29 Jun 2011)
General
PREVIOUS CLUB
Before joining Manchester United in the 2011/12 season, he played for Atletico Madrid, where he developed as a player. He progressed through the club's youth ranks quickly and spent his first professional season [2008/09] with the club's reserves in the Spanish second division. A first-team debut arrived early in the following season when he made his senior bow as a substitute against FC Porto in the Champions League. He signed for Manchester United in June 2011 for a fee of about GBP 18 million, a British record transfer fee for a goalkeeper. (as.com, 21 May 2012)
TOUGH TIMES
His first months with Manchester United were tough, and he came under heavy criticism on and off the field. He was dropped during the season but believes that the experience helped him in his development. "I'm young and I just came to a league and a country different from mine, so I should not worry. The manager told me to adapt and continue as I am. The results will come. Clearly, no one likes being on the bench, but it gave me the chance to reconsider and realise that I had to keep fighting. That has helped me to become much stronger and confident. I'm getting to my best level." (sportwitness.ning.com, 04 Mar 2012)
NATIONAL TEAM
He has represented Spain at every youth level from U15, and won both the U17 and U21 European Championships. (sportwitness.ning.com, 05 Mar 2012)
