New signing Gianluigi Donnarumma had an impressive debut for Manchester City, helping his team win 3-0 against rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium.
Legendary goalkeepers praise Donnarumma
Among the notable situations, the save of Bryan Mbeumo’s volley was considered the pinnacle moment, making experts admire. The situation happened in the second half of the match. Donnarumma jumped up to skillfully push the ball away from Bryan Mbeumo’s dangerous shot on MU’s side.
After the match, coach Pep Guardiola could not hide his satisfaction when talking about the Italian goalkeeper’s performance: “He played very well. The save from Mbeumo’s volley was truly world class. But what made me happier was the reaction of his teammates afterwards – Josko, Ruben, Rodri – all ran to congratulate him. That shows that the collective spirit is forming very well.”
According to Pep Guardiola, it is these moments of emotional sharing that will be the foundation for building a cohesive and successful team. “Everyone has times when they don’t play well, but if you feel the support of your teammates, that’s a real team,” he emphasized.
Donnarumma’s amazing save.
What do the experts say?
Legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who was at the Etihad as a commentator, had high praise for Donnarumma: “He has just played his first match but has already shown his leadership qualities. I have advised him many times to go to the Premier League and now he has chosen the right team. Man City will certainly be much stronger with Donnarumma in goal.”
Schmeichel also revealed that he once advised Donnarumma to join MU, but in the end Man City was the destination of this 26-year-old goalkeeper.
Former famous goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar also highly appreciated Donnarumma. In an interview with Gazzetta, Edwin van der Sar commented: “He is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe at the moment, just like Manuel Neuer who dominated for many years before getting injured.” According to Van der Sar, Donnarumma is in the top three goalkeepers, along with Ederson and Alisson.
On social networks, fans did not hesitate to praise Donnarumma after his convincing performance: “He is the one who saved the Manchester wall”, “The best goalkeeper ever at Man City”, “This is sweet revenge for Man United – the team that had the chance to recruit him but missed it”…
For a fee of £26m, Donnarumma is slowly proving to be a real bargain.
