Manchester United icon David De Gea leapt to the defence of Antonin Kinsky after he was hooked 17 minutes into a Champions League horror show
22:27, 10 Mar 2026
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky dejected after conceding their second goal during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen, first leg match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.
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Antonin Kinsky was hooked after 17 minutes(Image: PA)
Manchester United icon David De Gea has jumped to the defence of Antonin Kinsky after he was hooked after just 17 minutes on Tuesday evening.
Kinsky suffered a horror Champions League debut after he slipped for Atletico Madrid's opening goal before passing the ball into the path of Julian Alvarez for their third. And after 15 minutes, Igor Tudor had seen enough.
Tudor hooked his shot-stopper in the 17th minute, bringing on Guglielmo Vicario - who conceded a further two goals in a chastening evening for the Lilywhites. And the young Czech has now received some words of encouragement from De Gea.
Fiorentina's goalkeeper David de Gea during the Serie A Enilive 2025/2026 match between Fiorentina and Parma - Serie A Enilive at Artemio Franchi Stadium - Sport, Soccer - Florence, Italy - Sunday March 8, 2026
Fiorentina vs Parma - Serie A Enilive 2024/2025, Stadium Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy - 08 Mar 2026
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David De Gea jumped to his defence on social media(Image: Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse/Shutterstock)
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In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, De Gea said: "No one who hasn't been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position. Keep your head up and you will go again."
"I have never seen this before Kinsky’s performance was so bad he got current Goalkeepers coming out to defend him," one fan responded.
"Other goalkeepers releasing communicado officials because of how bad your performance has been...A genuine“the streets won’t forget” level stinker," a third said. And another added: "Tears this has been an incredibly humiliating season..."
While former Spurs shot-stopper Paul Robinson said: "The manager certainly has not helped his case. Nobody will understand where he is at unless you are a goalkeeper. It is a lonely place.
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"It will be soul-destroying for Kinsky. I would not be surprised if he was in tears. It is a difficult thing to handle.
"It is selfish from the manager - he knows he will not be here for long. I have never seen that in my whole career.
"It is clearly for self-preservation and with no consideration for the young goalkeeper."