In brief
With significant saves against AC Milan, De Gea displayed elite goalkeeping and shown that he still has a few years left in his career.
The media’s perception of De Gea has improved as a result of his heroics.
Fiorentina’s triumphs with De Gea inspire hope and progress throughout Europe.
Fiorentina has found David de Gea to be a continuous source of comfort this season, and even when the Italian team does give up more goals than they would typically like, the Spaniard keeps proving that his salad days are far from gone. La Viola’s 2-2 tie with AC Milan at the San Siro on Saturday night served as further evidence of this.
After his contract expired in July 2023, the 34-year-old left Manchester United, ending a 12-year career in which he made 545 appearances and set a club record of 190 clean sheets. Everyone agreed that it was time for the goalie to go on, and after delaying his career for more than a year, one may assume De Gea was on the verge of retiring.
That being said, he was named Man of the Match in just his second game after joining Fiorentina. That flash-in-a-pan masterclass now feels more like it’s here to stay as the season draws to a close after a run of strong performances.
David de Gea’s Performance During 2-2 Draw At AC Milan
The Spaniard pulled off a stunning double save
De Gea’s two concessions to aid AC Milan in their comeback merely hint at the situation that existed last night. La Viola may have been in far more trouble if it weren’t for him. He completed 11 out of 17 long balls, 81% of his pass attempts, and four saves from shots that were taken inside his box during his 90-minute performance.
Just as the opposition was applying more pressure, De Gea had his epiphany. Late in the game, the Spaniard made a beautiful double save, demonstrating his habit of taking his teams through moments when they don’t look their best. Take a look at the moment below:
At Fiorentina, De Gea’s game has a renewed sense of belief, which may have been mostly absent towards the conclusion of his time at United. However, he only needs to look at the media’s perspective to be reminded of how far he has come from being close to retirement.
The Reactions of the Media to De Gea’s Heroics in San Siro
His former detractors are now praising him profusely.
At one point, the media devoted a significant amount of time to pointing out De Gea’s shortcomings at Old Trafford. There was a sense that the Spanish international wasn’t receiving the respect he deserved throughout his last three seasons in the Premier League, and now that some fans are wishing he had stayed instead of Andre Onana, reporters’ perceptions of De Gea have completely changed.
Veteran commentator Paul Dempsey commended De Gea for his outstanding heroics during Saturday night’s match on TNT Sports, stating: “He’s not finished yet, not by a long way.” “Double miracle by De Gea” was the caption for a photo of the Spaniard’s two saves from last night that was shared on the official Serie A Twitter account. View the post that follows:
“Goalkeeping brilliance marks four-goal thriller” was the title of Football Italia’s player ratings, and the caption for their 7/10 match rating of De Gea read:
“As hard as it may be to believe with Fiorentina two goals ahead just 10 minutes into the game, the former Manchester United goalkeeper ultimately stepped up as the main protagonist for the visitors, making a series of unbelievable saves that kept Milan from making a comeback much sooner.”
De Gea saved two penalties against AC Milan in the rematch, so it’s safe to say he enjoys playing the Rossoneri. La Viola, meanwhile, still has a chance to win the Europa Conference League, and they will play Parma, Cagliari, and Empoli in their next three league games in an attempt to move up from eighth place in Serie A.
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