David De Gea

Sport: Soccer

Nation: Spain

DOB: November 7, 1990

Career Highlights: A rising star in net for Spain and Manchester United, De Gea has the tools to become one of the world's top goalkeepers. He started his career at the age of 10 in Atletico Madrid's youth system, and rose through the ranks to become the first team's starter at just 19 during the 2009-10 season. His success with Atletico and on various youth national teams for Spain - including winning the European Under-21 championship last summer - was enough for Man U. to spend nearly $30 million to make him the replacement for Dutch legend Edwin van der Sar. De Gea got off to a shaky start, drawing into question whether he was overpriced and overrated. He was benched briefly, but came back to have a strong second half of the season, helping the Red Devils finish second in the Premier League due to tiebreakers with league champion Manchester City. De Gea's height combined with his athletic ability make him a sure-fire stopper, but he needs to show improved awareness if he's going to fulfill his potential. De Gea flashed that potential at an early age by helping Spain to the 2007 European Under-17 championship and a second-place finish at that age level’s World Cup later that year. Success at the Olympics appears to be the next logical step for De Gea, who was one of the final cuts for Spain's World Cup team last summer.

Olympic History: None