David De Gea conceded 40th straight penalty before missing own spot-kick in Man Utd shootout heartbreak vs Villarreal
DAVID DE GEA conceded his 40th penalty in a row before missing his own spot-kick in Manchester United's dramatic loss to Villarreal
The goalkeeper, 30, suffered Europa League final heartbreak after he stepped up to take the 22nd kick in the incredible showpiece shootout.
But while he would not have been expected to be required to find the net with his strike, the Spaniard failed to keep out ANY of Villarreal's 11 penalties, including goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli's, in a dramatic shootout finale.
That extended the £375,000-a-week star's miserable unwanted record between the sticks for spot-kicks to 40 without a single save for club and country.
Incredibly, the last time De Gea did keep one out was more than five years ago - the 11th penalty save of his career.
He denied then-Everton striker Romelu Lukaku's attempt in the FA Cup semi-final on April 23, 2016.
DE GEA'S 40 STRAIGHT PENALTIES CONCEDED
THE spot-kicks David De Gea has conceded since he last saved one on April 23, 2016
Date Opponent Competition Scorer
1 Sep 18, 2016 Watford Prem Deeney
2 Oct 6, 2016 Italy World Cup qual De Rossi
3 Dec 4, 2016 Everton Prem Baines
4 Jan 15, 2017 Liverpool Prem Milner
5 Jan 26, 2017 Hull City League Cup Huddlestone
6 Mar 4, 2017 Bournemouth Prem King
7 Nov 28, 2017 Watford Prem Deeney
8 May 19, 2018 Chelsea FA Cup Hazard
9 June 15, 2018 Portugal World Cup Ronaldo
10 July 1, 2018 Russia World Cup Dzyuba
11 July 1, 2018 Russia *World Cup Simolov
12 July 1, 2018 Russia *World Cup Ignashevich
13 July 1, 2018 Russia *World Cup Golovin
14 July 1, 2018 Russia *World Cup Cheryshev
15 Aug 19, 2018 Brighton Prem Gross
16 Oct 28, 2018 Everton Prem Sigurdssoin
17 Dec 8, 2018 Fulham Prem Kamara
18 Dec 22, 2018 Cardiff Prem Camarasa
19 Mar 10, 2019 Arsenal Prem Aubameyang
20 Mar 23, 2019 Norway Euro Ch’ship qual King
21 May 12, 2019 Cardiff Prem Mendez-Laing
22 Dec 22, 2019 Watford Prem Deeney
23 July 4, 2020 Bournemouth Prem King
24 July 22, 2020 West Ham Prem Antonio
25 Sep 19, 2020 C Palace Prem Zaha
26 Sep 26, 2020 Brighton Prem Maupay
27 Oct 4, 2020 Tottenham Prem Kane
28 Nov 1, 2020 Arsenal Prem Aubameyang
29 Apr 29, 2021 Roma Europa Pellegrini
30 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa G Moreno
31 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Raba
32 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Alcacer
33 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa A Moreno
34 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Parejo
35 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Gomez
36 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Albiol
37 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Coquelin
38 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Mario
39 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Tortres
40 May 26, 2021 Villarreal *Europa Rulli
*Shootout pens.
Since then, Lukaku has signed for United for £75m, left for Inter for £73m, won the Serie A title and been linked with a return to the Premier League.
Interestingly, in that same time period, Dean Henderson - left on the bench tonight - has five penalty saves in club football.
Three of those came with Shrewsbury in 2017-18, two on loan at Sheffield United including to deny Gabriel Jesus last year, and one in the Europa League earlier this season for United.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Dream Team Euros
- £50,000 jackpot
- The best fantasy football game this summer
- Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members - and some hand-picked celebrities
- FREE to play
- 🏆 WIN £50,000!
- ⚽️ Euro squads: All of the players picked for the tournament so far
- 🏴 Euro 2020 betting special: England 35/1 to beat Croatia in Group D opener
- ⚽️ Fixtures: Work out when to watch all your Euro 2020 matches
- 🏴 Euro 2020 betting special: Get England at 20/1 to wear their home kit against Croatia during Wembley opener
- ⚽️ Build-up LIVE: All the latest news and updates from around the teams
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer threw on Juan Mata and Alex Telles in the final moments of extra-time and they duly dispatched their penalties.
But he opted against a Tim Krul-esque switch of goalkeeper for a penalty-saving specialist.
The crushing defeat means United's wait for a trophy will stretch into a fifth year.