Name: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Born: Feb. 25, 1999, in Castellammare di Stabia, Italy
Position: Goalkeeper
Pro club: AC Milan
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Why is he in the news?
Donnarumma made his competitive debut for AC Milan on Oct. 25, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win against Sassuolo at San Siro. In doing so, Donnarumma became the youngest goalkeeper ever to start a match in Serie A at the age of 16 years and eight months.
He’s special because
Did you not just read that he’s a teenager who is starting in goal for AC Milan?
Standing 6-foot-5, the Italian is a towering goalkeeper, and he is routinely the tallest player on the pitch. No surprise, then, that he cuts an imposing and commanding presence in the penalty area—not a bad quality for any shot stopper to have.
Mature beyond his age, Donnarumma hasn’t been shy about calling out and barking orders at his defenders, like he did on the weekend in a Serie A match against Atalanta.
Club career
A product of AC Milan’s youth system, Donnarumma was promoted to the senior team and was part of the Rossoneri’s pre-season tour of China—he made his debut on July 30 in a friendly against Real Madrid.
With veteran Spanish goalkeeper Diego Lopez struggling with a bit of tendonitis in his left knee, Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic handed Donnarumma his first start in a Serie A game against Sassuolo.
He won that game, and has started Milan’s last three matches, winning plaudits for his poised and mature play despite his inexperience.
“I don’t look at age, I look at whether someone is good or not,” Mihajlovic insisted.
International career
Donnarumma was Italy’s starting goalkeeper at the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Bulgaria, and has played for his country’s U-15, U-16 and U-17 sides. He was also recently called up by Italy’s under-21 team.
His most famous moment
This past weekend Donnarumma made a number of exceptional saves and put in a man-of-the-match performance to help AC Milan earn a 0-0 draw vs. Atalanta in Sin Siro, his second clean sheet in four games.
Here’s a few interesting facts
Donnarumma’s mother, Marinella, was required to carry his birth certificate with her whenever taking him to play in youth tournaments—he was often a foot taller than the rest of the kids, so he had to prove he wasn’t too old for the age category in which he was competing.
He stopped German international Ton Kroos during a penalty shootout in a pre-season game between AC Milan and Real Madrid this past summer.
Donnarumma’s older brother Antonio is also a goalkeeper for Genoa, although he is currently on loan with Bari in Serie B.
He said it
“Mamma mia, what an emotion. Every time I come out of the tunnel and go towards the bench, I relive my childhood dream” – Donnarumma told VivoAzzurro.it.
What they’re saying about him
“He is a jewel for Milan and the future of Italian football.” – AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic