Italy has its “Gigi” again

At the age of 17, he was already a regular goalkeeper at AC Milan, a position he has held continuously for the past five seasons. In the national team he initially had to line up behind legend Gianluigi Buffon, and he has been number one there since 2018. Gianluigi Donnarumma gets his chance for the 30th time against Austria.

The round of 3 on Saturday at London's Wembley Stadium is said to have been far from being everything in its premiere at a major tournament. The Italian goalkeeper has been little tested in the tournament so far and was not an important factor in the 0-1 triumphs over Turkey and Switzerland and the 0-XNUMX win against Wales. In the recent past, however, he was involved in the “Squadra Azzurra” extending its streak without conceding a goal to eleven games in a row. He was celebrated as a child prodigy Given the Italians' current form, it doesn't seem impossible that Donnarumma will achieve the feat that was denied to Buffon at the first attempt - the European Championship title. However, the now 43-year-old was able to lift the World Cup trophy in 2006. “He is a goalkeeper who has the opportunity to make history and win every competition,” Buffon said on Sky Italia about his 1,96 meter tall successor.

Donnarumma made his debut for Italy in 2016. © POOL / ALBERTO LINGRIA

The generational change in the Italians' goal was initiated on September 1, 2016, when Donnarumma came on for Buffon after the break in the 1-3 friendly against France. At 17 years, 6 months and 7 days. Since March 28, 2017, the native of southern Italy has also been the youngest goalkeeper ever to be in an Italian starting eleven. At club level, no goalkeeper was younger when making his Serie A debut than Donnarumma, who made his debut at the age of 16 years and 242 days and was described as a “child prodigy” at the time. Never conceded more than one goal in any international match Six seasons followed as AC Milan's undisputed goalkeeper, with only the Super Cup triumph in 2017 standing out. His record in the national team is strong. In none of his 29 international matches, in which there were 19 wins, eight draws and two defeats, did he concede more than one goal. “He already has quality and also incredible routine, but whether he is that absolute class keeper that the Italians already had with a Zoff, Toldo or of course the outstanding Buffon, he still has to grow into that, he hasn't been able to do that yet confirm,” said Austria’s ex-team goalkeeper Michael Konsel.

He is not alone with this opinion. “When it comes to the nitty-gritty, he is still a bit of a blank slate for me and for most Italians too,” emphasized the 59-year-old. He knows what he is talking about, his contact with Italy has never been broken after he kept goal for four years for AS Roma and Venice (1997 to 2001). “I haven't heard any miracles saying that he is a bench like Neuer or that he is undisputedly world class every week, as was the case with Buffon. There are sometimes ups and downs, it has its ups and downs,” says Konsel. Now it's off to PSG He didn't want to analyze Italy's number one in more detail because he hadn't observed him enough for that. That could change in the next few days if the Italians go far at the European Championships. After that it’s a change of scenery for Donnarumma. According to consistent media reports, the 22-year-old is said to have used the Monday without training to complete the medical check for the move to France's runner-up Paris Saint-Germain in Rome.

He was unable to reach an agreement on salary with Milan, where he played a central role as “leader and captain”. His contract therefore expires at the end of June, so he was able to choose his new employer. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, he will receive a contract until 2026 at PSG, where Keylor Navas is currently the goalkeeper, and will earn around ten million euros per year.

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Italy has its “Gigi” again

Only 22 years old, but already 215 games in Italy's top football league under his belt: Gianluigi Donnarumma made the leap to becoming a permanent fixture in Serie A early on. Portrait of an exceptional goalkeeper.

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