Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has revealed that he cried when he heard that David de Gea's move to the Spanish club didn't materialize and insists he never wanted to leave the Spanish powerhouse.
The Costa Rica international was set to move to Manchester United as part of a deadline-day swap deal on August 31, 2015, which would have seen David de Gea going the other way until paperwork complications disturbed the deal.
During the summer of 2015, David de Gea penned a new deal at Old Trafford, and Navas was focused on Los Blancos, after a public dispute between the clubs over who was to blame for the failed deal.
Speaking about the collapsed deal, Navas said; "The day I was told that the paperwork for De Gea's signing hadn't arrived on time and that I was going to stay at Real Madrid, that day I cried all night with my wife.
"I didn't want to leave the best club in the world. It was a dream to be at Real and I didn't want to leave.
"At 8 years old, I was doing interviews saying that I was a Madrid player. God gave me this chance and I didn't want to miss it."
Keylor Navas joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 after a superb run of form at the FIFA World Cup made him a target for several top European clubs.
The 37-year-old was one of three goalkeepers short-listed for the Golden Glove award in Brazil, but he found it hard to take Spanish Iker Casillas's place at the Bernabeu during the 2014 La Liga campaign.
Real Madrid didn't get a chance to sign De Gea, because he was determined to make his mark - after putting pen to paper with Man United in 2015.
Madrid agreed to transfer Navas to Manchester United in exchange for David de Gea on 31 August 2015. Still, the deal collapsed because the documents were not submitted to FIFA before the Spanish transfer deadline.
Keylor Navas spent five excellent seasons with Real Madrid, representing the club in 104 games after the departure of Casillas.
He won several honors including three consecutive Champions League titles (2016, 2017, and 2018) and the Spanish Primera Liga (2017), under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane, Navas left Real Madrid in 2019 and joined PSG.
He currently plays for the English Premier League club side, Nottingham Forest, where he has appeared in 17 games since his loan move to the club.
On the other hand, De Gea spent twelve years at Old Trafford, representing the Premier League over 540 times.
De Gea kept 15 clean sheets in the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign, narrowly missing out on the Golden Glove award to Arsenal's Petr Cech.
He also became the first player to win Manchester United's Player of the Year award three years in a row.
In 2017, the Spaniard won the Europa League for the second time in his career following a 2-0 win over Ajax in the final. United also won the League Cup after edging a thrilling final against Southampton at Wembley.
The 32-year-old’s contract with Man United expired at the end of June 2023, with no new deal agreed despite talks that took place throughout the season.
The Costa Rica international was set to move to Manchester United as part of a deadline-day swap deal on August 31, 2015, which would have seen David de Gea going the other way until paperwork complications disturbed the deal.
During the summer of 2015, David de Gea penned a new deal at Old Trafford, and Navas was focused on Los Blancos, after a public dispute between the clubs over who was to blame for the failed deal.
Speaking about the collapsed deal, Navas said; "The day I was told that the paperwork for De Gea's signing hadn't arrived on time and that I was going to stay at Real Madrid, that day I cried all night with my wife.
"I didn't want to leave the best club in the world. It was a dream to be at Real and I didn't want to leave.
"At 8 years old, I was doing interviews saying that I was a Madrid player. God gave me this chance and I didn't want to miss it."
Keylor Navas joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 after a superb run of form at the FIFA World Cup made him a target for several top European clubs.
The 37-year-old was one of three goalkeepers short-listed for the Golden Glove award in Brazil, but he found it hard to take Spanish Iker Casillas's place at the Bernabeu during the 2014 La Liga campaign.
Real Madrid didn't get a chance to sign De Gea, because he was determined to make his mark - after putting pen to paper with Man United in 2015.
Madrid agreed to transfer Navas to Manchester United in exchange for David de Gea on 31 August 2015. Still, the deal collapsed because the documents were not submitted to FIFA before the Spanish transfer deadline.
Keylor Navas spent five excellent seasons with Real Madrid, representing the club in 104 games after the departure of Casillas.
He won several honors including three consecutive Champions League titles (2016, 2017, and 2018) and the Spanish Primera Liga (2017), under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane, Navas left Real Madrid in 2019 and joined PSG.
He currently plays for the English Premier League club side, Nottingham Forest, where he has appeared in 17 games since his loan move to the club.
On the other hand, De Gea spent twelve years at Old Trafford, representing the Premier League over 540 times.
De Gea kept 15 clean sheets in the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign, narrowly missing out on the Golden Glove award to Arsenal's Petr Cech.
He also became the first player to win Manchester United's Player of the Year award three years in a row.
In 2017, the Spaniard won the Europa League for the second time in his career following a 2-0 win over Ajax in the final. United also won the League Cup after edging a thrilling final against Southampton at Wembley.
The 32-year-old’s contract with Man United expired at the end of June 2023, with no new deal agreed despite talks that took place throughout the season.