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Footballers take the first step towards their careers since a tender age. They mature over the years to become the polished products that are signed by footballing institutions.
Throughout the years, they are tried out on different position so as to determine their strongest area of play. As a result, many of them gradually change their positions as they age by. While some of them maintain an identity as players in a particular position from a young age, some of them end up as products that are poles apart from what they actually began as.
In this piece, let's have a look at 5 such players who started as outfield players but ended up as goalkeepers in their careers.
#5 Jose Manuel Pinto
We remember Jose Manuel Pinto as the goalkeeper who spent nearly his entire career as a second-choice goalkeeper at Barcelona. He came to the Nou Camp after a decade with Celta Vigo in 2008.
The Spanish started as a defensive midfielder before switching to the role between the posts. He managed to win an impressive chunk of 16 trophies with Barcelona from 2008 to 2014, most of it coming in the Pep Guardiola era, albeit contributing scarcely to the success of the club.
After quitting professional football, Pinto has ventured into music as a record producer and owns a label named Wahin Makinaciones which he started during his footballing years in 2000.
#4 Adrian
West Ham goalkeeper was also one such player who journeyed backwards in terms of position. Until the age of 10, he functioned as a striker while playing for boyhood club CD Altaire.
However, as their first-choice goalkeeper left, he made the switch from a forward to a goalkeeper and has remained the same ever since.
Adrian progressed considerably late in his career, making his La Liga debut with Real Betis after coming through their youth ranks, at the age of 25. He made his debut against Sevilla after substituting an outfield player as their goalkeeper was sent off. Following a Man of the Match performance, the shot-stopper went on to start the next 31 games for his club.
Quite a testament to his abilities between the posts, isn't it?
#3 Jorge Campos
Who says diminutive men can't guard the posts? Mexican shot-stopper Jorge Campos is an example to look at when it comes to short keepers.
Campos was widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation due to his athleticism, flamboyant and a rather risky style of play. He ran off his line more often than not, giving minor heart-attacks to his fans in the process.
While we have seen keepers who never played outfield after switching back to guard the sticks, Campos was a cut above the rest.
He was a standing tribute to versatility during games; he would start a game in goal and switch to the forward position later, in order to use his skills as an effective striker.
No wonder he finished his career as the third highest goalscoring keeper of all time with 46 goals in his sixteen-year career.
#2 Thibaut Courtois
Now this one is something we all will relate to more closely.
Former Chelsea shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois is well-known for his quick reflexes in spite of having a tall and lanky stature. He also has an excellent positional sense and an ability to time his runs off the line effectively when rushing out to block his opponents.
Courtois, however, didn't start in the position he is so well-known for. He began as a left-back when he joined Bilzen V.V., a local club in his hometown. He changed his position when he joined Racing Genk at the age of seven in 1999.
Ever since then, he has made appreciable leaps in his career and won awards such as the La Liga Goalkeeper of the Year(2013), La Liga Zamora Trophy(2013,2014), the Premier League Golden Glove(2016-17) and the Belgian Footballer of the Year(2014).
The Real Madrid keeper has enough to avoid the regret of a positional change, hasn't he?
#1 David De Gea
From a lacklustre and disappointing debut season to his rise to stardom as the best keeper of his generation, David De Gea's tale is one to cherish for many fans. The Spaniard has been instrumental and the most vital part of Manchester United during their dark years after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
But, you'll be surprised to know that he never planned on guarding the sticks for an entire career. The Manchester United number 1, as Jose Maria Cruz, his old football coach remembers him, was a striker who was their top goalscorer.
'At this school, David was an outfield player until the age of 14. We played futbol sala here, Spain's answer to five-a-side, and he was playing up front. He was our top goalscorer.'
However, as De Gea revealed himself, he switched to the role of a keeper since he felt he was more natural in that position.
Throughout the years, when people look up to David as the man to replace the legendary Iker Casillas, he won't be disappointed with his decision, would he?
