Darmian weighs in on De Gea versus Buffon debate

Friday 06 October 2017 13:47

Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian has expressed his belief that team-mate David De Gea is the best goalkeeper in world football.

The Reds defender is well placed to judge because he of course plays for Italy alongside legendary Juventus stopper Gianluigi Buffon, who is hugely respected within the game for his incredible career achievements. 

Darmian reckons 39-year-old Buffon must be regarded as the best goalkeeper of all-time, but feels the much-younger De Gea is the best right now due to his consistent, astonishing form with United. 
De Gea versus Buffon
Matteo Darmian says

"David is the best goalkeeper in the world right now and Gianluigi is the best goalkeeper of all time."

“I know David very well and, at this moment, he is the best goalkeeper in the world," Darmian told us. “He is very important for us and I think that save at Stoke from Jese Rodrigues was incredible.

“Gianluigi is the best goalkeeper of all time and he's also a good guy. So I am lucky to play with two goalkeepers like this. Of course, it's close between the two. But I think David is the best goalkeeper in the world right now and Gianluigi is the best goalkeeper of all time.

"They are both very similar because they are very strong and they both make very good saves. They also have good personalities, which you need to have.”
Video
De Gea has made some amazing saves for United and you can watch his best in the video above

There is a constant debate about who is the world's best goalkeeper, with Buffon, Keylor Navas and Manuel Neuer also in contention for many pundits. Of course, we all agree with Darmian that it is De Gea! Naturally, David is humbled by the claim and says he will always keep his feet on the ground. 

So what does the Reds' no.1 think when people speak of him as possibly the world's best? “Of course, you feel really proud when people think this about you,” De Gea told MUTV in the summer. "”t’s really good, but I like to keep my focus, keep working hard and doing my best. 

“To be fair, when you are really young, you don’t think about the future too much, you just want to play with your friends. When you get older, you start to dream about being there, about being at a top team, so of course it’s a dream to be at a team like Manchester United.”