What Gianluigi Donnarumma has already achieved and achieved at the age of 22, other goalkeepers in world football do not even manage in an entire career. But at the moment, the rise of Italy’s next great goalkeeper seems to have come to a bit of a halt. Did the European champion make the wrong decision?
While other pubescent 16-year-olds change hobbies almost weekly, possibly get up to mischief, let their parents despair a little and still want and need to orient themselves in life as to what direction they will take in the future in terms of career or studies, for example, early developer Gianluigi Donnarumma already had his path mapped out.
Born on 25 February 1999 in Castellammare di Stabia on the Gulf of Naples, the Italian, who later joined AC Milan in 2013 via the SSC Napoli training centre, made the breakthrough to professional status in the fashion metropolis as early as the 2015/16 season. A place in the squad is guaranteed. But not only that: the Milan coach at the time, Sinisa Mihajlovic, sends the highly talented youngster, aged 16 as described above, straight into the starting eleven in the 2-1 home win against Sassuolo Calcio on 25 October 2015.
And he will never be banished from it again (in Milan) …
Milan conquered, briefly “been Dollarrumma”, Buffon succeeded
Mihajlovic as well as successive AC coaches over the years Cristian Brocchi, Vincenzo Montella, Gennaro Gattuso, Marco Giampaolo and Stefano Pioli (currently also still in charge) agree: this player has what it takes to do great things. “Donnarumma is very talented and I hope he will have exactly the same career as Buffon. Donnarumma would also be very happy about that, because Buffon has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world for the last 20 years,” was Mihajlovic’s opinion of his protégé six years ago.
And he shall be proved right: Because Donnarumma collects in all the Serie A years at such a young age 215 Serie A appearances, 16 games in the Europa League, comes to a total of 251 official games for Milan, remains 88 times without conceding a goal – and makes the local Tifosi philosophise about the upswing with new stars. And justifiably so: Because even on the field in front of the young keeper, the Rossoneri are building up a young squad (supplemented by former star Zlatan Ibrahimovic) that, after dreary years, last played for the championship for a long time in 2020/21, ultimately becoming runners-up and finally returning to the Champions League.
Only in 2017 is there “stink” when Donnarumma becomes “Dollarrumma”. Even then, the goalkeeper and his well-known advisor Mino Raiola negotiated hard with AC Milan, failed to reach an agreement for a long time – and fans reacted angrily, throwing paper money on the pitch, among other things. Raiola’s explanation: “We asked for more time for the contract negotiations. Milan, on the other hand, informed the media about every step. A part of the Tifosi turned against Gianluigi – and the club didn’t protect him.” In the end, however, the keeper stayed, signed until 2021 and won back hearts with performances.
And he did so in a different kit: in the meantime, on 1 September 2016, in a 1-3 friendly against France, “Donnarumma’s hour” struck for the first time in the national team, with the goalkeeper coming on as a substitute for legend Gianluigi Buffon. He thus follows in the footsteps of two great predecessors – “Grandi Gigi” and his predecessor Dino Zoff -, learns from Buffon for some time – and becomes the sole new number 1 of the Squadra Azzurra after Buffon’s official retirement from the national team in May 2018.Donnarumma is the new number 1 of the Squadra Azzurra.
The highlight: Wembley, title, award
The 22-year-old put on the Azzurri jersey again this summer during the European Championship – and shone here as part of a young, fun unit around experienced players like Giorgio Chiellini or Europe’s Footballer of the Year Jorginho. Three games without conceding a goal in the group stage are followed by great saves in the round of 16 against Austria (2:1) and in the quarter-final against Belgium (2:1), before a shot by Alvaro Morata in the semi-final against Spain is saved in the penalty shoot-out (4:2).
In the end, Donnarumma even manages the crowning achievement – or rather the double crowning achievement for Donnarumma himself: In the dramatic 3:2 penalty shootout against England, the goalkeeper, who was still under contract with Milan at the time, saves two attempts, thus winning his first major title with a team, thus finally following in the mighty footsteps of Zoff (World Champion 1982, European Champion 1968) and Buffon (World Champion 2006) at national team level – and is also named Player of the Tournament.
“My goal was always to be number one,” Donnarumma said in retrospect in July after winning the European Championship title. “I wanted to win the World Cup and the European Championship in an Italy jersey. That’s what every child dreams of.” On his Instagram page, the goalkeeper, who was also briefly confused during the European Championship by his own admission, then wrote: “I’m proud to have given all Italians a smile and to have experienced so many magical nights together with our extraordinary fans. ”
And now?
The magic nights have come to an end for Donnarumma in recent weeks. But let’s take it one step at a time …
First of all, during the European Championships rumours were already running rife that the Italian wanted to look elsewhere after years at Milan – which is why the Rossoneri’s contract talks with him and his star advisor Raiola have been put on hold. On 14 July, the time had come: the French giants Paris Saint-Germain, who are topping up their stock this summer and are also expected to land Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos on a free transfer, signed the reigning European champion on a contract until 2026. With an annual salary of eleven million euros, Milan’s offer apparently did not keep up and his departure becomes unavoidable.
A little more than two months later, however, Donnarumma is said to be quite unhappy, which, judging by the facts, would be quite understandable. The Italian has only made two Ligue 1 appearances for the league leaders since his move, with his rival Keylor Navas (34), who is almost 12 years his senior, playing the other six games and the one Champions League match so far at Club Brugge.
According to media reports, Donnarumma is (still) having a hard time in Paris, precisely because the South American stars around Neymar, Messi or Angel di Maria maintain a good relationship with Navas and are said to support the Costa Rican. And the reports – for example from the “Corriere della Sera” – go even further: according to reports, Donnarumma’s agent Raiola is already looking into options for winter or summer 2022, just to be on the safe side, should there be no major change in the European champion’s situation. Again and again, Juventus is mentioned as a potential option. For the moment, however, this is all speculation.
One thing is certain: PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino must know that he has to keep the highly talented Donnarumma in line – and so the Italian is actually expected to start instead of Navas in the top flight home game against Manchester City this Tuesday (9 p.m., LIVE! on kicker). Even if Pochettino did not confirm this the night before: “We have great goalkeepers – and they are all adapting to the demands here. We are happy with what they are doing so far.”
In the aftermath, it will definitely become clear whether, for example, a call-up against ManCity will only be a one-off treat and the veteran will return to the Paris box time and again – or whether Donnarumma will quickly curve around the current career stop sign and leave it behind. Otherwise, a career construction site looms for a professional who has, after all, done everything in the best possible way since the age of 16.
