This is the timeline of a goalkeeper who was the next big thing, and is now rebuilding his career in the Tercera - and he's only 23.
This is the story of David Gil...
September 2, 2012: Atlético Madrid B call up a young, 18-year-old goalkeeper from the Juvenil squad. David Gil straps on his gloves and grimaces as, on home soil, Caudal Deportivo score two goals past him.
He misjudges the flight of the ball for the first and, in the 90th minute, is second to the ball against striker Borja Navarro for the second.
September 9, 2012: David Gil is given another chance. The team takes the short trip to south-west Madrid, playing CD Leganés. He squanders it. Again.
This time, he loses concentration and is nowhere near the ball from a weak header - that comes of a throw-in set-piece - for the first. He is injured in the buildup to the second goal and is taken off at half-time.
December 16, 2012: Times are desperate. RSD Alcalá shipped four past Atlético exactly a week ago and David Gil gets his chance again. UD Salamanca come to town and destroy Atlético; David Gil saves the day on more than one occasion and would've been happy with the final scoreline of 1-1.
December 22, 2012: Atlético visit CD Marino, and David Gil starts. They win 2-0, with David Gil keeping his first clean sheet. He makes spectacular saves to keep his team in the ascendancy - the whole team plays with the intention of winning. It seems to be just a good game for David Gil.
In reality, it changes the 18-year-old's life.
January 10, 2013: Spanish newspaper Marca link Manchester United with an Atletico Madrid goalkeeper by the name of David Gil, who is being being tracked specifically by Sir Alex Ferguson's brother, Martin.
It is reported that Gil is contracted to Atlético until 2015.
January 13, 2013: At home against CD Ourense, David Gil keeps another clean sheet, and Atlético B win 3-0.
David Gil never plays again that season. 21-year-old Canadian/Moroccan Yassine Bounou plays because he was a summer signing, and establishes himself as undisputed number one.
September 7, 2013: Bounou travels for a national team match, and so David Gil plays against CD Tudelano. Two nil up and Atlético are cruising. David Gil lets in two goals within three minutes - the first a beautiful shot from Fernando Lumbreras, the second a walk-in-the-net for Álex Sánchez; the defense lets their custodian down when it matters.
October 22, 2013: David Gil sits on the bench of the first team for once instead of Bono, as Atlético win 3-0 at Austria Vienna.
October 27, 2013: David Gil plays at CF Fuenlabrada. He commits himself to the onrushing Antonio López, but doesn't realize that striker Carlos López is unmarked, who scores in a half-empty net. He then commits himself to a set-piece, but back tracks and predictably center-back Raúl Aguilar heads the ball home. Final score: 2-1.
December 14, 2013: Just three days earlier David Gil had been on the bench of the first team as they beat Porto on home soil. Playing against Sestao River away, David Gil had already played 11 times that season out of a possible 17, and had conceded 11 goals and kept four clean sheets.
This game changes his season. The end result was 1-1 but David Gil's performance was unbelievable.
Unbelievably poor.
He over-committed time and time again; he made weak saves and parried balls right to the opponent, and one time he was caught in no-man's-land - a certain goal was blocked by a defender.
August 2014: Bono is loaned out to Real Zaragoza, and David Gil gets another roll at the dice. In fact, he plays 20 consecutive games. The team plays poorly but David Gil shines - Real Sociedad B lost 1-2 but really could've won. Even when Atlético B were losing, even if it was 6-1 against Bilbao Athletic, David Gil prevented further embarrassment.
David Gil irons out his mistakes - especially his positioning and decision making - and becomes an undisputed number 1.
January 11, 2015: Atlético B travel to play bitter enemies Real Madrid Castilla. And they are destroyed. The defense is poor and marking is non-existent in each of the four goals conceded, as Real Madrid run out 4-2 winners.
Tried as he could, he could do nothing.
Aftermath
He was ostracized for having conceded four goals. Someone had to be made the scapegoat, Atlético B were second-from-bottom and five points from safety, and three from the playoff spot. 19 points after 20 games. The losses were building up, and so was the tension.
He only played for Atlético B twice again, and his contract expired in 2015.
He went on to play for Getafe B, and rotated constantly with Javier Olmedo, a goalkeeper who didn't make it with Real Madrid. The team was managed by Rubén de la Red, a player whose playing career with Real Madrid was tragically ended by heart problems.
But the team had problems - the loss of the previous season's three top goalscorers left them dead last with the worst defense in the league. David Gil had faced his second relegation in two years.
He would go on to drop down to the Tercera and play for another season - and when he didn't play he warmed the first team bench - 15 times to be exact - as Getafe's third choice keeper.
Now, he plays for Cádiz's B team, also in the Tercera, and is Cádiz's third choice keeper.
This is the story of David Gil...
September 2, 2012: Atlético Madrid B call up a young, 18-year-old goalkeeper from the Juvenil squad. David Gil straps on his gloves and grimaces as, on home soil, Caudal Deportivo score two goals past him.
He misjudges the flight of the ball for the first and, in the 90th minute, is second to the ball against striker Borja Navarro for the second.
September 9, 2012: David Gil is given another chance. The team takes the short trip to south-west Madrid, playing CD Leganés. He squanders it. Again.
This time, he loses concentration and is nowhere near the ball from a weak header - that comes of a throw-in set-piece - for the first. He is injured in the buildup to the second goal and is taken off at half-time.
He doesn't come near the B team for the next three months.
December 16, 2012: Times are desperate. RSD Alcalá shipped four past Atlético exactly a week ago and David Gil gets his chance again. UD Salamanca come to town and destroy Atlético; David Gil saves the day on more than one occasion and would've been happy with the final scoreline of 1-1.
December 22, 2012: Atlético visit CD Marino, and David Gil starts. They win 2-0, with David Gil keeping his first clean sheet. He makes spectacular saves to keep his team in the ascendancy - the whole team plays with the intention of winning. It seems to be just a good game for David Gil.
In reality, it changes the 18-year-old's life.
January 10, 2013: Spanish newspaper Marca link Manchester United with an Atletico Madrid goalkeeper by the name of David Gil, who is being being tracked specifically by Sir Alex Ferguson's brother, Martin.
It is reported that Gil is contracted to Atlético until 2015.
January 13, 2013: At home against CD Ourense, David Gil keeps another clean sheet, and Atlético B win 3-0.
David Gil never plays again that season. 21-year-old Canadian/Moroccan Yassine Bounou plays because he was a summer signing, and establishes himself as undisputed number one.
September 7, 2013: Bounou travels for a national team match, and so David Gil plays against CD Tudelano. Two nil up and Atlético are cruising. David Gil lets in two goals within three minutes - the first a beautiful shot from Fernando Lumbreras, the second a walk-in-the-net for Álex Sánchez; the defense lets their custodian down when it matters.
In the 2013-14 season, David Gil plays regularly as Yassine "Bono" Bounou is called up to the senior squad regularly. It is clear that Bono is more highly valued.
October 27, 2013: David Gil plays at CF Fuenlabrada. He commits himself to the onrushing Antonio López, but doesn't realize that striker Carlos López is unmarked, who scores in a half-empty net. He then commits himself to a set-piece, but back tracks and predictably center-back Raúl Aguilar heads the ball home. Final score: 2-1.
December 14, 2013: Just three days earlier David Gil had been on the bench of the first team as they beat Porto on home soil. Playing against Sestao River away, David Gil had already played 11 times that season out of a possible 17, and had conceded 11 goals and kept four clean sheets.
This game changes his season. The end result was 1-1 but David Gil's performance was unbelievable.
Unbelievably poor.
He over-committed time and time again; he made weak saves and parried balls right to the opponent, and one time he was caught in no-man's-land - a certain goal was blocked by a defender.
It was such a dramatic fall in form that David Gil only played three more times the whole season, and even when Bono conceded four against CD Laudio and four against CD Huesca, David Gil had lost his chance.
David Gil irons out his mistakes - especially his positioning and decision making - and becomes an undisputed number 1.
January 11, 2015: Atlético B travel to play bitter enemies Real Madrid Castilla. And they are destroyed. The defense is poor and marking is non-existent in each of the four goals conceded, as Real Madrid run out 4-2 winners.
Tried as he could, he could do nothing.
Aftermath
He was ostracized for having conceded four goals. Someone had to be made the scapegoat, Atlético B were second-from-bottom and five points from safety, and three from the playoff spot. 19 points after 20 games. The losses were building up, and so was the tension.
He only played for Atlético B twice again, and his contract expired in 2015.
He went on to play for Getafe B, and rotated constantly with Javier Olmedo, a goalkeeper who didn't make it with Real Madrid. The team was managed by Rubén de la Red, a player whose playing career with Real Madrid was tragically ended by heart problems.
But the team had problems - the loss of the previous season's three top goalscorers left them dead last with the worst defense in the league. David Gil had faced his second relegation in two years.
He would go on to drop down to the Tercera and play for another season - and when he didn't play he warmed the first team bench - 15 times to be exact - as Getafe's third choice keeper.
Now, he plays for Cádiz's B team, also in the Tercera, and is Cádiz's third choice keeper.
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