- David de Gea had a nightmare debut with Fiorentina, conceding three goals
- The former United goalkeeper was mocked by some but applauded by others
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all just beginning!Available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
David de Gea had a tough start to the season at Fiorentina, conceding twice in the first 12 minutes against small European side Puskas Akademia.
Fiorentina had to come back from 2-0 down and eventually earned a 3-3 draw at home to Puskas AFC, Hungary’s third-best team, in the Europa Conference League play-offs.
For the former Manchester United goalkeeper, lifting the FA Cup at Wembley or returning the Premier League to Old Trafford is a long way off.
De Gea has been working hard to stay fit and signed for Fiorentina this summer, his first club since leaving United as a free agent in June 2023.
This was his first appearance in 446 days and the Spaniard had a tough time of it, conceding five shots on goal and three.
David de Gea had a nightmare start at Fiorentina, conceding twice in the first 12 minutes
![David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina in punishing debut against European minnows - after former Man United goalkeeper joined Serie A club as a free agent 7 They then conceded their third when Fiorentina drew 3-3 at home to modest Puskas Akademia.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724398987_303_David-de-Gea-endures-NIGHTMARE-start-to-life-at-Fiorentina.jpg.webp)
They then conceded their third when Fiorentina drew 3-3 at home to modest Puskas Akademia.
Your browser does not support iframes.
To be fair to De Gea, facing a penalty just nine minutes into his first start for a new club is demanding, and he conceded it to Hungary’s Euro 2024 side Zsolt Nagy, though he did pitch in the right direction.
The next one was fired three minutes later.
Fiorentina came back from two goals down to take the lead, with Moise Kean giving the Italians the advantage after 75 minutes.
However, the visitors’ 89th-minute equaliser left a bitter taste in the mouth and left Fiorentina with work to do to qualify for the group stage.
They have suffered plenty of disappointments over the past two seasons, losing Europa Conference League finals to West Ham and Olympiacos.
Fans were quick to jeer De Gea, 33, who, it must be said, has achieved more than most in the game, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, two EFL Cups and two Europa Leagues, among various personal honours.
‘De Gea has never changed, in 11 minutes his brother has already scored 2 goals,’ wrote one user on X.
“Wow, my favourite goalkeeper David De Gea has finally managed to sign for a club! Let’s see how he fares in his debut against the Hungarian Plumbers,” wrote another.
![David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina in punishing debut against European minnows - after former Man United goalkeeper joined Serie A club as a free agent 10 1724398988 955 David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724398988_955_David-de-Gea-endures-NIGHTMARE-start-to-life-at-Fiorentina.jpg.webp)
![David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina in punishing debut against European minnows - after former Man United goalkeeper joined Serie A club as a free agent 12 1724398989 907 David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724398989_907_David-de-Gea-endures-NIGHTMARE-start-to-life-at-Fiorentina.jpg.webp)
![David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina in punishing debut against European minnows - after former Man United goalkeeper joined Serie A club as a free agent 14 1724398989 527 David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724398989_527_David-de-Gea-endures-NIGHTMARE-start-to-life-at-Fiorentina.jpg.webp)
![David de Gea endures NIGHTMARE start to life at Fiorentina in punishing debut against European minnows - after former Man United goalkeeper joined Serie A club as a free agent 16 Fans had varying levels of respect for the former Manchester United goalkeepers.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724398989_846_David-de-Gea-endures-NIGHTMARE-start-to-life-at-Fiorentina.jpg.webp)
Fans had varying levels of respect for the former Manchester United goalkeepers.
Others were quick to jump to his defence. “De Gea’s revisionism stinks, they just ignore that he was the best goalkeeper in the league for five years. Only Ronaldo has won the Player of the Year award (four times) as much as De Gea,” began one.
“He’s been in bad shape since the 2018 World Cup, but let’s not rewrite history. David De Gea is a club legend.”
Another said: “He did well. He made excellent saves. In fact, he should be Fiorentina’s number one.”