Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas was in fine form as the Reds hold Premier League Champions City to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, February 18.
The 36-year-old Reds stopper made several impressive saves as Nottingham Forest claimed a point against Guardiola’s Sky Blues.
The Costa Rican goalkeeper Navas made several superb stops throughout the contest on that brilliant Saturday much like his debut against Leeds United as he helped his side claim a big result on their home soil.
With Manchester City failing to finish off their hosts, Nottingham Forest was able to equalize with their first shot on target that landed in the 84th minute as Chris Wood turned in a Morgan Gibbs-White cross to return parity in the Premier League contest.
Meanwhile, much of the credit for Forest gaining a very valuable point against Manchester City must go to the former PSG stopper, Keylor Navas.
However, none of those saves came in the first half, as the visitors kept shooting off target, up until Bernardo Silva fired past Navas from distance just before the end of halftime.
After the break, the visitors kept striking harder for another goal but the 36-year-old Costa Rica international goalkeeper used everything at his disposal to keep Guardiola’s City at bay.
Navas’s fingertip prevented Ilkay Gundogan’s superb free-kick while the denial of Aymeric Laporte’s header, at point-blank range with his lower regions, was nothing short of heroic if not extremely painful.
Navas handed a major blow to the Sky Blues’ title hopes as he also saved crucial strikes from Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden.
The 1-1 draw against City means Arsenal, who came from behind to defeat Aston Villa 4-2 holds a two-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League standings, and they also have a game in hand.
Remarkably, the 36-year-old Nottingham Forest goalkeeper has played three games for the Reds and been named in the Premier League team of the week twice.
Keylor Navas won man of the match having brilliantly knocked out four crucial strikes on his debut against Leeds United, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory on the 5th of February.
Manchester City could have had the game at Forest done and dusted but lost crucial ground on Arsenal in the title race thanks to Navas who denied their chances, saving five strikes at critical spots.
Keylor Navas Birth and Personal Life.
Keylor Navas was born in Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica on the 15th of December, 1986 into a poor family and raised in San Isidro de El General, a city in the southeast of San José province.
The 36-year-old Costa Rican is a devoted Christian who is fond of talking about his faith.
Navas, according to him, takes God first in everything he does, saying, “God for me comes first. Before every game, I kneel, open my arms, and pray.
A documentary film, known as Hombre de Fe (Man of Faith), based on the life of Keylor Navas was released on 28 December 2017.
Keylor Navas Football Career.
The Costa Rican professional goalkeeper joined Premier League club Nottingham Forest, on loan from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain on the 31st of January, 2023.
Navas has been named CONCACAF Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year for three consecutive years between 2016 and 2018.
The 36-year-old Costa Rican suberp stoppper was also named the best male CONCACAF Player of the Decade 2011–2020 by the IFFHS.
Navas’s wonderful performances in the 2017/18 season earned him the UEFA Club Football Award for best UEFA goalkeeper for that season.
His brilliant feats also saw him named to the UEFA Champions League Squad of the 2018 Season.
Navas has won a total of twelve titles while playing for Real Madrid, including one La Liga title and three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles as the first-choice goalkeeper.
Keylor Navas has conceded 3 goals and kept 1 clean sheets for Forest in 3 matches in the Premier League 2022/2023 season.
For Costa Rica, Keylor Navas has made over 100 appearances since making his debut in 2008.
In raw goalkeeping, the Forest veteran goalkeeper has saved 5 of the 7 shots faced and was named best goalkeeper 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
In 2022, the Nottingham Forest superb goalkeeper obtained his academic degree, a master’s in Sport Management from Johan Cruyff Institute.
