Among the many opportunities Gianluigi Donnarumma has had in his football career, there is one that will always remain open to him: the national team. He was first between the sticks nine years ago as a young talent, establishing himself, save by save, as a world-class champion. Gigio experienced a heated August as he was ‘shown the door’ by Paris Saint-Germain just hours before taking the field for the UEFA Super Cup, after playing a decisive role in winning the Champions League. Au revoir. But his summer as a ‘separated-in-house’ player was short-lived. As of Monday, he has officially signed with Manchester City, joining another top European club in the hunt for new trophies. “I’m calm, very excited, and happy. I couldn’t wait to join City.” He said in his presser. “They really wanted me, and that flattered me because we’re talking about one of the best clubs and coaches in the world. The goal is to win as much as possible with City and with Italy, bringing the national team back to where it deserves to be.” There is no time for disappointment; the end of his journey with PSG is already in the past. “I’ve always had an excellent relationship with Luis Enrique, and I appreciated that he was direct with me. It’s fair that every coach can make their own choices. The support of everyone, especially my teammates, made me understand what I’ve given to Paris Saint-Germain. And that’s the most important thing.”

JOURNEY TO THE WORLD CUP. Once a European champion at Wembley, he dreams of one day winning the World Cup. However, so far, he hasn’t even played in one. It’s only natural that he’s determined to be jetting off to America next summer: “Now we have two important matches ahead. We need to work well and show that we are a solid team, young but ambitious. We need to start off strong, demonstrate our value, stay focused, and begin this journey on the right foot. Bergamo will be a sell-out, and I thank everyone who will come to the stadium. Donnarumma disagrees with those who say Italy lacks talented young players: “That’s nonsense, we have talent, and the players are strong. Serie A is an important league that has grown and grown a lot.” His comment will have certainly pleased Serie A League president Ezio Maria Simonelli, who, welcomed by FIGC president Gabriele Gravina, visited the Azzurri today.

BOND WITH GATTUSO. At Coverciano, Gigio was reunited with Gattuso, with whom he shares a strong bond, all the way back from their time at AC Milan together. Even then, at just nineteen, the coach had called him the best goalkeeper in the world: “I was fortunate to have him at Milan. I know what kind of person he is and how much he can give. I’m happy to be reunited with him here; he’s giving everything, and we players will give it our all too to take Italy to the top.” From the current coach to the former one, his thoughts turned to Luciano Spalletti: “I speak to him quite often. He gave me a lot. Unfortunately, some things didn’t work out, not just because of him, but also because of us players. Against Norway, we didn’t have the strength to make a comeback. We need to rediscover our Italian strength to grow together. Mister Gattuso and I are working on this, finding our confidence. He’s making everyone aware of their importance to the team from the first player to the last. The goal is to build the team, enjoy ourselves again, and play more freely on the pitch. We shouldn’t feel too much pressure.”

MATCH AGAINST ISRAEL. After Estonia, the national team will face Israel on Monday in Debrecen, a match that has been widely discussed at the moment but not for sporting reasons: “I’ve just become a dad, and it hurts to see certain photos and to hear certain news reports. But this is a situation bigger than us, and I don’t want to go into the details. We are just focused on playing football. Our goal is to help promote peace.”

BALLON D’OR. Gigio is the only Italian among the Ballon d’Or nominees. Only one goalkeeper, the Russian Lev Yashin, has ever won it, back in 1963: “I think it’s been my best season because we won so much. It was one of the most beautiful years of my career. I hope to carry on like this and enjoy many more achievements.”

SINNER AND A MESSAGE TO THOMAS. Gigio’s friendship with Jannik Sinner is no surprise, after all, top athletes are well-connected: “I speak to him all the time, we get on really well. We talk about everything but football and tennis. I wish the best for tonight (he faced Musetti in the US Open quarterfinals). An Italian derby is always a special match, may the best player win.” After Buffon’s message, Donnarumma also wanted to send wishes to Thomas, the 13-year-old who was assaulted on the field by an opponent’s father: “We are all with him, these things should never happen. I’m sending him a big hug, and we can’t wait to welcome him soon to Coverciano.”

 

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Giovanni Leoni (Liverpool), Gianluca Mancini (Roma);

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Nicolò Rovella (Lazio), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);

Forwards: Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Atalanta), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Atletico Madrid), Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).