Real Madrid legend makes superb claim about PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma
- Donnarumma lacks unanimous support as PSG's goalkeeper
- Carlo Ancelotti disagrees with this criticism
- Ancelotti has praised Gigio highly
By Manuel Meza
![Despite heavy criticism, Gianluigi Donnarumma doesn't have unanimous support as PSG's goalkeeper. However, Carlo Ancelotti has praised him highly. Despite heavy criticism, Gianluigi Donnarumma doesn't have unanimous support as PSG's goalkeeper. However, Carlo Ancelotti has praised him highly.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4000,h_2250,x_0,y_18/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/503/01hz3bn1xdm3ht9dbc7v.jpg)
Heavily criticized by observers, Gianluigi Donnarumma does not seem to have unanimous support as PSG's goalkeeper. This is not the view of Carlo Ancelotti, who has spoken very highly of Gigio.
Arriving on a free transfer from AC Milan in the summer of 2021 after a stunning Euro campaign, Gianluigi Donnarumma joined Paris Saint-Germain to take his career to the next level. The first challenge was significant: to bench Keylor Navas.
This objective was not fully achieved in his first season in Paris, as the coach, Mauricio Pochettino, decided to alternate between Keylor and Gigio, with each playing one match out of two.
Unfortunately, on the night of March 9, 2022, it was the Italian who was in goal and contributed to his team's elimination against Real Madrid. In short, it was a season of ups and downs, most notably remembered for his blunder in the Champions League.
Things changed during the 2022-2023 season with the appointment of Christophe Galtier: Gianluigi Donnarumma became PSG's undisputed number-one goalkeeper. It was a difficult status to assume, and the Italian would likely agree... his season was relatively shaky and disappointing.
Consequently, the Rouge & Bleu, along with Luis Enrique, sought a goalkeeper who could compete with Donnarumma: Arnau Tenas.
Carlo Ancelotti for @Repubblica: "The only world-class Italian player is Gianluigi Donnarumma." pic.twitter.com/fVd6ZASDYO
— Manu Meza (@manuelmezacfs) May 29, 2024
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Real Madrid legend makes superb claim about PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma
However, after the 23/24 season, the Spaniard did not establish himself as a sufficient rival to disrupt the hierarchy in PSG's goal. Especially since Gigio had a very good season, his best since arriving in the capital.
Nevertheless, Paris is not giving up and wants to put pressure on their number one, as the club is set to spend €20M on Matvey Safonov, the Russian goalkeeper from FC Krasnodar.
Initially, Safonov will likely be relegated to a backup role, but there is no doubt that the aim of the PSG management and the Russian himself is to provide strong competition for the number 99.
When asked by La Repubblica about the current state of Italian football, Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, praised the often-criticized PSG goalkeeper: "The only world-class Italian player is Gianluigi Donnarumma." This statement is sure to please the main man himself.
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