Did you think Michael Owen would go directly from Liverpool to Man Utd...? Obviously he didn't, he went elsewhere first. Isn't that like De Gea...? As I said above, its unlikely but not impossible. However, Man Utd won't let him go IMO
A keeper has never gone for anywhere near that but it would be interesting to see what a top keeper would fetch nowadays, as very rare that top keepers move between top clubs. To think we got Courtois for nothing once A Madrid had trained him for us and paid us loan fees
Buffon moved for 51m euros (about £30m at the time) back in 2001. The sixth most expensive transfer ever at the time and still only joint 20th (with James Rodrigez) most expensive now!
Michael Owen is an Evertonian. He never gave two craps about Liverpool. He proved that when he left the club. If DDG wants to go back to Spain I think it's far more likely that he will end up at Barca.
The only slightly relevant example there is Alan Smith. However, he was moving from a club that had just been relegated (yes, in theory it could happen to United!) to a club that had been the dominant force in English football for years. He was also a limited player who was being offered the chance to play for a top club. DDG will always have his pick of top clubs. A quote from the always reliable Wikipedia.
He was a Evertonian as a boy, so was Rush, McManaman, Fowler, etc. Not one of them claim to be a Everton fan now, they all claim to be Liverpool fans. Owen as said he wanted to return to Liverpool too but Rafa didn't want him and he's said he also had the opportunity to go to Everton but he didn't want to. Way to shrug the rest off too
Probably a reasonable comparison, though De Gea has a lot to do before he's in Buffon's class. De Gea ultimately hasn't achieved anything yet and has what 3 caps? Looks a bloody good prospect though and getting a lot of practice at United Wonder what Neuer would fetch in today's market? He's probably world number 1 at the moment.
Owen is still open about being an Evertonian. So is McManaman. A Brazilian and a Portuguese playing for the two biggest clubs in Spain is a million ****ing miles away from a born and bred Liverpool fan/player moving to Manchester United or a born and bred Atletico Madrid fan/player moving to Real Madrid. Surely even you can see the difference?
He's done as much as the 23 year old Buffon had. Buffon played six seasons for Parma before joining Juventus. This is De Gea's seventh season.
Are you suggesting a player can't appreciate a club rivalry unless they are from that city? If you think its impossible then you are seriously deluded. Its simply not. It is unlikely and the probability is Man Utd won't sell but it's in no way shape or form impossible. Go back further if you like. What about Dennis Law playing for you and then going to Man City? Mark Hughes played for you guys before going to both Chelsea and Man City! Paul Ince played for us after you that included a divert like Owen and De Gea. Matt Busby was a Liverpool player before managing you lot. It happens and not always because of money.
If you think that a foreign player, effectively an employee, has the same emotional attachment to a club as someone who is born and bred at their club, whose whole family support that club, then you're the deluded one. Were Andy Cole and Peter Schmeichel prepared to play for City? Yes and yet somehow they still refer to United as "we" and "us". Would Gary Neville have ever played for City? No chance. Peter Beardsley played for both Everton and Liverpool. Do you think Gerrard would choose to play for Everton? Mark Hughes? A Welsh Chelsea fan who played for United, City and Chelsea. Why is that odd? Paul Ince, a cockney who played for United and Liverpool? Shock horror, the betrayal. Matt Busby? Come on! He was a footballer and then a manager! He was also Scottish and it was at a time when the rivalry between Liverpool and United was strong but not as furious (toxic?) as it is now. Denis Law I'll give you but again a Scotsman playing at a time when he probably moved for the best, still rather meagre, wages on offer. Gary Neville and the Manchester rivalry compared to Figo and the El Classico rivalry. Miles apart.
Completely agree. I'm not debating that there is a chance De Gea may want to join Real. I'm challinging LFC45 pseudo racist claim of "i doubt de gea would snub madrid considering he is spanish". What does him being Spanish have to do with anything, unless you believe all Spanish players are somehow the same? Would be interesting to see what the fee is if the move does happen - back when Buffon went for 51m euros the world transfer record was 75m euros. Now the record is up to 100m euros, so if the progression follows then it could be approaching 70m euros, which is around £55m. Doubt it will happen unless De Gea forces it through a la Ronaldo tho.
Buffon had been the established number 1 for Italy before the move, had 2 ballon d'or nominations and won the Uefa cup. A little bit more than De Gea has achieved. But as I saw De Gea looks a very good keeper with room to improve so would not come cheap. He cost 20 odd million 2 years ago so it would be more than that.
But that would assume De Gea is as good as Buffon was, which he probably isn't. I think you'd double your money though if you were to sell - which you wont.
I reckon we need a De Gea thread. Has anyone ever done one before? Matth can then say, with some justification, that he was right all along (he wasn't alone either) as it's quite clear we are now in possession of one of the top 5 goalkeeper's in world football when two seasons ago all our rival supporters were saying he was s**te. Then after that we'll do a Luke Shaw thread along similar lines.
It's part of the cycle of being a young player signing for United. * Sign for United as one of the recognised future stars of the game... * Fail to break records in your first game and declared f**ing s**t by the statistically astute United haters... * Improve over the course of a few seasons and become recognised in the game as one of the top players in your position whilst also becoming recognised by the United haters as a decent player but not as good as (insert name of player playing in same position for United hater's team)... * Linked with record breaking move to Real Madrid and become recognised by the United haters as the best player in the world in your position and the reason United are where they are... * Liverpool go another season without a league title...
He wasnt ****e at all. He was just a young keeper who still made mistakes. Because he played for united, every single one was over scrutinised to extremes.
Can you remember when he first joined and the press had this huge thing about long shots being a huge problem for De Gea, so what did we see other teams doing at the very start of his United career Funny how everyone gets sucked in
