Gianluigi Donnarumma: Is He in for Some Boos? Roberto Mancini’s Plea

Gianluigi Donnarumma returns to San Siro, and the reception is likely to be frosty once again. The Italian national team goalkeeper has often been booed and heckled by his former Milan fans in the past, and the same could happen Thursday night during the Azzurri’s Nations League match against France.

“I hope Gigio isn’t booed,” said head coach Roberto Mancini at a press conference. “Gigio is a great goalkeeper, as well as an extraordinary young man. Regardless of what happened years ago, I don’t think he deserves to be booed: you hope that people at the stadium are there to cheer, and we hope to put ourselves in a position where we’ll be cheered on.”

On France: “If Olise catches a cold, that wouldn’t be so bad… Joking aside, it’s great to play matches like this against such strong opponents—that’s the beauty of soccer: we have to play our own game, try to win it, and stick to our style, while striving to improve on what we’ve done so far.”

On the many young players called up: “We have to call them up to get to know them firsthand; having younger players has been important for getting to know them and understanding the qualities they possess, even with an eye toward the future.”

In the first leg, Italy held France to a draw: “The first leg was difficult at times; France kept us on our toes, and we did well defensively. In the second half, Gigio saved us, but tomorrow’s match will be different—we’ll play it aiming to win against one of the best teams in the world.”