David de Gea was born on 7 November 1990 in Madrid, Spain. He joined Atlético Madrid's academy as a teenager and worked his way up to the first team, making his senior debut in September 2009 at the age of 18 after being called up as emergency cover. He quickly established himself as Atlético's first-choice goalkeeper, helping the club win the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in 2010 before earning a move to Manchester United the following year.
United signed De Gea in June 2011 for a then-British record fee of £18.9 million for a goalkeeper. His first season in England was difficult, but he grew steadily into one of the Premier League's most reliable shot-stoppers. Over more than 500 appearances for the club, he won the Premier League title in 2012–13, the FA Cup in 2015–16, two League Cups, three Community Shields, and the Europa League in 2016–17. He was named United's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons from 2013–14 to 2015–16, the first player in the award's history to achieve that, and was included in the FIFA FIFPro World11 in 2018.
A commanding, reflexive goalkeeper known for his agility and shot-stopping ability between the posts, De Gea is regarded as one of the standout goalkeepers of his generation. He made his senior international debut for Spain in 2014 and went on to earn 45 caps, appearing at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
After leaving United when his contract expired in 2023, De Gea spent a year without a club before joining Serie A side Fiorentina in August 2024, where he serves as the team's first-choice goalkeeper.