Gianluigi Donnarumma is an Italian goalkeeper who recently finalised a move to Ligue 1 giants, Paris Saint-Germain. Donnarumma won the best player award at the just concluded EURO 2020.
The 22-year-old is rated as being one of the best goalkeepers in the world despite his age. Let’s take a look at Donnarumma’s rise to stardom.
Club Career
After spending 10 years in Napoli from 2003 to 2013 as an academy player, Donnarumma moved to AC Milan in 2013 for a fee of €250,000.
Donnarumma broke into the first team in 2015/16 making his debut in an International Champions Cup match against Real Madrid.
He made his Serie A debut against Sassuolo after being chosen ahead of Lopez in 2015 aged 16 years and 242 days thus becoming the second youngest-ever goalkeeper to debut in the Serie A. He helped Milan to a 2-1 win after they had gone three matches without a win.
Donnarumma continued to excel and by the start of 2016, he had become Milan’s first-choice goalkeeper. Milan subsequently offered him a three-year contract.
Between 2016-2021, Donnarumma had firmly established himself as Milan’s Number one goalie and had carved a reputation for himself as one of Europe’s rising stars.
In the opening game of 2016/17, Donnarumma saved the first penalty of his career, saving an Andrea Belotti penalty in injury time to ensure Milan beat Torino 3-2 at home.
On 23 December, Donnarumma helped Milan to win the Supercoppa Italiana by saving Paulo Dybala’s penalty in the final in a penalty shootout that AC Milan won 4-3.
On the 30th of December, 2017, Donnarumma became the youngest player to make 100 appearances for Milan in a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina and in April 2018, Donnarumma became the youngest player to reach 100 appearances in Serie A aged 19 years and 49 days.
On 21, July 2020, Donnarumma played his 200th game for Milan in the 2-1 away win over Sassuolo where he also wore the Captain’s armband for the first time after skipper Romagnoli was subbed off due to injury.
Donnarumma was named the Serie A goalkeeper of the year by AIC in March 2021 and named in the Serie A team of the year.
In the 2020/21 season in what would prove to be Donnarumma’s last season with AC Milan, Donnarumma played in 37 out of 38 matches in Serie A and appeared 11 times in the Europa League.
With Donnarumma in goal, AC Milan were able to finish second and qualify for the Champions League after a seven-year absence.
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Milan’s management made numerous attempts to extend his contract but could not due to his wage demands and after the expiration of his contract on 30th of June, 2021, Donnarumma left Milan on a free transfer.
In July, he officially joined PSG signing a five-year deal until June 2026 ensuring that he will begin the new season as a PSG player.
International Career
Donnarumma had stints at the under-17 and under-21 teams for Italy. He was the starting goalkeeper for the under-17 side and at 17 years and 28 days, he became the youngest player ever to play for the under-21 side.
In August 2016, Donnarumma was called up to the senior team for a friendly against France on 1 September. Donnarumma made his senior debut against France, replacing Gianluigi Buffon at halftime, thus becoming the youngest ever goalkeeper to play for Italy aged 17 years and 189 days.
In 2018, after the retirement of Buffon, Donnarumma was chosen by new coach Roberto Mancini and played for Italy at the UEFA Nations League.
In June 2021, Donnarumma was included in Italy’s squad for the Euro 2020. His exploits in the competition saw them win the competition and earned him the player of the tournament award making him the first goalkeeper to win the award.
Donnarumma’s exploits make it difficult for some fans to remember that he’s only 22, meaning he may not be at his prime just yet, and with these incredible accomplishments, one thing is certain, the sky is just the beginning for Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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