De Gea’s Heavenly Return to the Pitch Ends with Goals Conceded, Mockery from Fans

In the early hours of August 23, in the Europa Conference League qualifier, Spanish goalkeeper De Gea made his debut for Fiorentina against Hungary’s Puskás Akadémia, marking his first appearance for La Viola. However, this match ended in a 3-3 draw, which was a tough outing for De Gea as he conceded three goals.

Puskás Akadémia, a relatively smaller team, finished third in the Hungarian league last season. According to Transfermarkt data, their total market value is only 9.95 million euros, while Fiorentina’s total value stands at a staggering 286.45 million euros, highlighting a clear disparity in strength.

Fiorentina head coach Paratici decided to start De Gea, who had not played an official game in 446 days due to being 34 years old. However, De Gea’s return did not go as smoothly as expected. Within just 12 minutes of the game, he conceded two goals. In the 9th minute, despite guessing the right direction, he could not prevent Nagy from scoring a penalty. Then, in the 12th minute, Soisalo’s diagonal shot beat him again, making it 2-0.

With their overwhelming squad advantage, Fiorentina equalized and then scored two more goals, taking a 3-2 lead. However, they couldn’t hold onto this slim lead. In the 89th minute, Puskás Akadémia capitalized on a set-piece opportunity, with Golla heading in to level the score at 3-3.

Despite a successful save from a close-range header in the 80th minute, De Gea could not salvage his overall performance in the match. Social media was flooded with disappointed fans: “He should retire.” One comment read: “Just one year out of the game, the Premier League Golden Glove winner has dropped to amateur level.” Some even suggested: “This might be De Gea’s last appearance for Fiorentina.”

Some Manchester United fans commented: “It feels strange seeing De Gea in another club’s jersey.” Another fan remarked: “Nothing has changed for De Gea; he’s already conceded two goals within 12 minutes.”

Following the 3-3 draw at home against Puskás Akadémia, Fiorentina will need to secure a win in the away leg on August 30 to advance to the next round.