The Italian has had his ups and downs since moving to Parc des Princes, but he's been key to the club's sensational 2024-25 campaign
Gianluigi Donnarumma served as a ball-boy during his time in AC Milan's youth sector. Whenever Juventus rocked up at San Siro, he would stand behind Gianluigi Buffon's goal and study the Bianconeri goalkeeper's every movement.
By the age of 16, though, he was lining up against his idol in Turin. At 17, meanwhile, he was coming on for Buffon to make his Italy debut. Comparisons between the two were, thus, inevitable. But also justified. They didn't just share a first name, after all; they also shared the same prodigious physical and mental attributes. In fact, Buffon even felt that Donnarumma was the more mature of the two at the same age.
"I was completely different!" the veteran admitted in 2016. "He's a great lad, very calm, thoughtful, intelligent and has extraordinary qualities. He has everything to make history in the role. We'll just have to wait 20 years to make conclusions."
While we still have more than a decade to go, it's safe to say that Donnarumma hasn't yet attained his mentor's remarkable level of consistency. However, the Paris Saint-Germain No.1 is proving in this season's Champions League that he still has the requisite talent and temperament to emulate Buffon by becoming the greatest goalkeeper of his generation…
AFPPick of PSG's free agents
PSG picked up four free agents in the summer of 2021: Lionel Messi, Gini Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Donnarumma. For all of the fanfare surrounding Messi's arrival at Parc des Princes, Donnarumma actually looked like the more significant deal from a purely sporting perspective.
He was still only 22 (a baby in goalkeeping terms!) and arrived in Paris just days after being named Player of Tournament at Euro 2024, which Italy won thanks in no small part to Donnarumma's decisive displays at Wembley, against Spain and England. He was unquestionably perfectly placed to become PSG's No.1 for years to come.
The only problem was that they still had Keylor Navas on their books, resulting in the Chilean and Donnarumma effectively sharing the goalkeeping duties during the 2021-22 campaign. Clearly, something had to give, and Navas was unsurprisingly the man to make way. However, the wisdom of that decision was repeatedly questioned in the French media, primarily due to Donnarumma's discomfort with the ball at his feet.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportMisery in Madrid
PSG's implosion at Santiago Bernabeu on March 9, 2022 was by no means their most painful Champions League capitulation – but it was a horrible night nonetheless for Donnarumma.
Having beaten Los Blancos at home with an injury-time winner from Kylian Mbappe, Mauricio Pochettino's team looked almost certain to progress to the quarter-finals when their jet-heeled French forward netted again just before half-time in the second leg. However, in the 61st minute, Donnarumma dallied on the ball, allowing Karim Benzema to deflect the ball into the path of Vinicius Jr, who immediately teed up his team-mate for a tap-in.
PSG predictably went to pieces, allowing Benzema to complete a hat-trick as they bowed out 3-2 on aggregate, leaving Donnarumma devastated.
Getty Images Sport'Too strong to be affected'
In much the same way as he had consoled Donnarumma after a couple of howlers in the 2019 Coppa Italia final, Buffon was quick to defend his compatriot.
"Errors like that are useful to grow up, they are part of a developing process and I am sure it will have no negative impact because Donnarumma has already proved to have the strength to overcome the difficult moments," Buffon told the .
"He is too strong to be affected by all this. Gigio is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, one of the top three along with Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer."
Buffon was certainly right about one thing: Donnarumma had sufficient strength to put his Madrid mishap behind him. And the support of his mental coach Nicoletta Romanazzi also helped in that regard.
Getty Images Sport'I can learn from mistakes'
"One thing I've learned is how to react to errors rather than successes," Donnarumma told the . "I always thank Nicoletta because she helps me focus on myself and not think about external elements. Seeking help is no weakness; on the contrary, it makes you stronger.
"The goalkeeper role is one of the most difficult but also the most beautiful. One of my strengths is remaining focused despite some errors. If you think about them, you are dead… People have the right to talk, but an opinion can’t determine a goalkeeper’s value. I am calm, especially because I can learn from mistakes."
That they kept happening, though, became a real cause for concern in Paris.
