Gianluigi Donnarumma, During his team’s historic European Cup victory, the Italian showed everyone his abilities, but he has since been replaced at Parc des Princes.
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Without Gigi Donnarumma, Paris Saint-Germain very likely could have won the Champions League final. But without him, they most definitely wouldn’t have reached Munich.
Over the course of the knockout rounds, Donnarumma was enormous. As his teammates were always quick to point out, Donnarumma was just as decisive in the matches against Aston Villa and Arsenal, despite only winning one Player of the Match award during his career—for his characteristically huge contribution to PSG’s shootout victory over Liverpool at Anfield. The Italian powerhouse was even dubbed the team’s “MVP” by star playmaker Vitinha following the pivotal 1-0 victory at the Emirates.
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Therefore, it was odd to hear Donnarumma acknowledge that he wasn’t sure if he would still be at PSG for the upcoming season following the team’s 5-0 thumping of Inter at the Allianz Arena. “We’ll see in the next few days,” he reported.
After just over two months, Donnarumma’s tenure at Parc des Princes seems to be coming to an end. On August 12, a “disappointed and disheartened” Donnarumma posted a beautiful image on Instagram, effectively announcing his departure. The statement “someone has decided that I can no longer be part of the group” was the extent of his assertion. There are no rewards for speculating who that could be.
How in the world did this happen? Why is Luis Enrique about to split from the top goalie in Europe?
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Jekyll & Hyde
It’s crucial to keep in mind that PSG wasn’t exactly a picture of consistency throughout their Champions League run. In actuality, their victory can be practically split into two quite different acts.
It required an incredible recovery to save the game and their entire tournament after Luis Enrique’s team fell behind 2-0 early in the second half of their crucial match against Manchester City at Parc des Princes in January, putting them in danger of an embarrassingly early elimination.
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This effectively created a before-City and after-City divide for PSG, and Donnarumma was perhaps the clearest example of the Jekyll & Hyde aspect of their performances.
He, like almost every other member of Luis Enrique’s starting lineup, was a stunner in the 2-0 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates on October 1 and, like PSG, did not impress at all over the first few rounds of the league round. The coach wasn’t in the mood to criticize Donnarumma for letting Bukayo Saka’s wide right-wing free-kick float past him and into the back of the net, especially considering the appalling performance as a whole.
Luis Enrique told reporters, “To be honest, I’m not here to point fingers for the loss.” “I am the one who is at fault, if anyone is. The opposing team won more duels and had superior pressing. If you don’t win any duels, you can’t win the match. We were entitled to lose. But Donnarumma’s error just fueled more discussion about whether he should be considered PSG’s indisputable number one.
Concern’s about Gianluigi Donnarumma
During Luis Enrique’s first season as manager, there had already been rumors that the Spaniard was not happy with Donnarumma’s distribution abilities and was already asking for a goalkeeper who was more at ease with the ball at his feet.
Of course, he would not openly acknowledge that. Luis Enrique even accepted responsibility for the Italy international’s dismissal against Le Havre for a careless foul outside the area following a particularly disastrous week for Donnarumma that included three errors in three games. “Gigio fulfilled my request. The coach said, “If anyone is accountable, it’s me. I ask the goalie to cover [the last third].” “It usually goes smoothly. However, I am the one at fault when things don’t work out.
Replacement is already signed.
The assumption remained, however, that despite his skill in goal, Donnarumma was not the best fit for Luis Enrique’s football philosophy. Like so many current coaches, the former Spain player desires a goalkeeper who can not just stop shots but also initiate attacks; while Donnarumma excels at the former, he occasionally suffers with the latter.
As a result, speculation that PSG might make a bid for the more sure-footed Lucas Chevalier began last year and has finally been confirmed, with the France international joining from Lille for €40 million (£35 million/$46 million).
Indeed, it now appears like Chevalier’s arrival has confirmed the decision to release Donnarumma, despite the fact that the club would have loved both players to compete for the No.1 jersey throughout the 2025-26 season.
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