David De Gea sent a message of support to Antonin Kinsky after the Tottenham goalkeeper was substituted just 17 minutes into his Champions League debut.
Under immense pressure, coach Igor Tudor decided to leave out-of-form goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario for Tuesday night’s Champions League round of 16 first leg against Atletico Madrid, a major decision considering the circumstances.
In his place, he brought on reserve goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, whose last game for Tottenham was in October last year, when the team suffered a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup.
Unfortunately for the Czech goalkeeper, Tudor’s decision to give him minutes proved unsuccessful almost immediately, as he made several mistakes in the opening minutes, allowing Atletico Madrid to build a three-goal lead.
In fact, shortly after Julian Alvarez scored to make it 3-0 in the 15th minute, Kinsky was replaced by Vicario.
As reactions to his difficult performance spread across social media, former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea sent the 23-year-old a message of support.
“No one who has not been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position. Keep your head up and you will come back again,” he wrote on the X platform.
Tottenham signed Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a deal worth around €14m in January 2025.