Shoot-out hero: David de Gea shows just why Real Madrid have pursued him for three long years


Andy Mitten
  • English
  • Arabic

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA // Several Real Madrid players surrounded Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea at the end of pre-season friendly decided by a penalty-shoot that bordered on the farcical. United won 2-1 on penalties, with only three of the 10 converted after the game finished 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes in the punishing Californian sun.

Had De Gea's manager Jose Mourinho not spoken about his goalkeeper the day before the game, which attracted a crowd of 65,109, United fans could have been alarmed at seeing him surrounded by his friends who play for the Spanish, European and world champions. Madrid have wanted De Gea for three years and while he has never pushed for a return, nor has he hidden his desire to those close to him.

Yet after Mourinho’s well-timed words, De Gea, who has all but stopped speaking to the media, could relax: “I can guarantee that he’s not going this season,” the Portuguese said. “And my feeling is that it will be very difficult for him to go. It will be very difficult for him to go because he’s a very honest boy, very straight. I see him really happy and focused and working better than ever, so for me 100 per cent he stays with us.”

That news was welcomed by United fans who, not for the first time, feared that they might lose their keeper back to the city where he grew up and where his partner, friends and family live.

De Gea came on at half time in Santa Clara, replacing Sergio Romero, with United leading 1-0 through a Jesse Lingard goal. De Gea conceded a second-half penalty, duly dispatched by Casemiro, but then saved two in the shoot-out from Mateo Kovacic and Oscar.

United do not want to keep any player against their will, but it was Real Madrid who cooled on De Gea this time. In the days following their second Uefa Champions League success in three years in May, there was a push from within Madrid’s dressing room to keep the popular goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Madrid executives were also content with the idea of keeping Navas, for they felt that AC Milan's teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, someone Madrid had watched closely, would not be committing long term to the San Siro club. Donnarumma hesitated before signing to stay in Italy, though Milan fans were rocked that he had even considered leaving.

Navas is excellent, but he is not in De Gea's class. The Costa Rican played through injury last season which did not help his form or confidence and for a time he was whistled at the Bernabeu. But, like his team, he finished the season strongly.

United would not have let De Gea go cheaply, while Madrid are raising funds to complete their expected signing of Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe who is likely to attract a world-record transfer fee.

De Gea, 26, has entered his seventh season at a club where he was named player of the year three seasons in succession.

The Madrileno is one of seven Spanish speakers in the dressing room and is content playing for what he believes to be an improving United side.

"We have excellent goalkeepers at this club," Antonio Valencia told The National. "David is now one of the most experienced players at the club, he's the No 1 for Spain and he's long been the established at United. We're very happy having him in the team and hope he'll stay for a long time."

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De Gea has played 269 games for United, three more than the legendary goalkeeper he replaced, Edwin van der Sar. He will likely pass Cristiano Ronaldo’s 292 games for the club next season and he has been one of the few ultra consistent players in a side where too few of the outfield players reach the levels every week to seriously challenge for league title.

Alex Ferguson claimed that he needed eight top-level performances from his team at any one time. United have been getting the required level for five or six players most weeks, with Anthony Martial among the more frustrating to see.

The Frenchman, who had failed to shine on the pre-season tour of North America, was much improved against a Madrid side who showcased some of their excellent youngsters, beating players to set up Lingard’s opener.

“We want more consistency in his talent,” Mourinho said. “Today was positive for him, that’s why I left him for 90 minutes on the pitch. He was enjoying himself and trying things. It’s important to try things in these friendly matches so it’s good for Anthony and his confidence.

“He’s a young player who still has time to learn, still time to improve, still time to develop, and it's also his personality. I can say he is training better than before, he’s working harder than before. It’s a question to bring his talent more in a consistent way.”

United flew to Washington DC for their next friendly against Barcelona on Tuesday, Madrid will travel south where they will play Manchester City. De Gea, to the relief of every United fan, will not be going with them.

AIR
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Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

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MATCH INFO

South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8) 

Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)

Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.

UAE SQUAD

Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan

India squad for fourth and fifth Tests

Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari

The%20Secret%20Kingdom%20
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ICC Awards for 2021

MEN

Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)

T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)

ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)

WOMEN

Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)

ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)

T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)

The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

Naga
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Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

if you go

Getting there

Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.

Staying there

On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.

More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr

EGYPT SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Ahmed El Shennawy, Mohamed El Shennawy, Mohamed Abou-Gabal, Mahmoud Abdel Rehem "Genesh"
Defenders: Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi, Omar Gaber, Ali Gazal, Ayman Ahsraf, Mahmoud Hamdy, Baher Elmohamady, Ahmed Ayman Mansour, Mahmoud Alaa, Ahmed Abou-Elfotouh
Midfielders: Walid Soliman, Abdallah El Said, Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, Amr Warda, Nabil Emad
Forwards: Ahmed Ali, Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen, Ahmed "Kouka" Hassan.

The biog

Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos

Favourite spice: Cumin

Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills