While he has been criticized at length in France and Italy, Gianluigi Donnarumma’s poor form is only a distant memory now. For several weeks, the Italian goalkeeper has been gaining momentum, at the best time of the season. For Paris Saint-Germain already with big deadlines to come, marked by the semi-final of the Coupe de France against Rennes but also the quarter-finals of the Champions League against FC Barcelona. But also for Italy, as a highly anticipated Euro approaches on the other side of the Alps, since the Nazionale will put its title gleaned in the summer of 2021 against England back into play, after the new trauma of the World Cup in Qatar. Everyone can count on the native wall of Castellammare di Stabia.
Decisive against AS Monaco or recently against Real Sociedad, Donnarumma is a new man. Already at San Siro, during the group stages against AC Milan, he was able to respond with maturity and serenity, despite being heckled by all the fans in the very noisy Milan venue that evening for an eventful reunion: “I’m very happy with what I’m doing. It wasn’t easy at the beginning because it’s never easy when you leave your country and get used to a new country. Now I feel good, I feel at home and that’s the most important thing to perform better and help the team.”first explained the Italian doorman in his major interview given to our colleagues from Canal+. But the former Rossoneri goalkeeper has worked hard to regain his much-deserved status, he who was for a time “worried” by Keylor Navas or Arnau Tenas at PSG and by Guglielmo Vicario or Michele Di Gregorio in the selection.
A mental coach who changed everything!
If it seems obvious, daily work is the basis of all progress. But that is sometimes not enough to find his level, he who was voted best player of Euro 2020 and great hero of Italy’s European title: “The important thing is how to improve, I constantly try to improve, I never rest on my laurels, I work 100% every day to give the best of myself. An error can always happen. You try to do as little as possible but it happens. I think that’s one of my strengths: always staying in the game. Don’t get distracted by a mistake that may happen. This is essential for a goalkeeper because if you think about the mistake, you are finished for the rest of the match and you can no longer express your potential., said the Italian goalkeeper, who made big mistakes during his career at PSG. Including some notable ones in the Champions League.
The Italian details in detail his way of approaching each opposing offensive situation. It’s all a question of balance between risk-taking and reassuring decision-making with a crucial capacity for adaptation: “When a player enters from the outside to the inside of the area, the most important thing is to find the best position, the one that allows you to stretch out as far as possible. The most important thing is to always stay in the right position on every shot, every cross, every situation. You always have to stay focused on the ball. Sometimes great players look one way and shoot the other. Very important to always look at the ball without following the movement of the foot or the player. When you stop the ball far from the goal, you don’t take any risks, you try to send it as far as possible. The important thing is to know when you can take risks, when it brings you an advantage or not.analyzes the 25-year-old doorman.
But the point that changed everything in Gianluigi Donnarumma’s life was the arrival of Nicoletta Romanazzi in his daily life. A mental and psychological trainer who helped the former Milanese enormously: “I have to thank my mental coach, Nicoletta, who helps me stay focused on myself and not think about external elements. I suggest it to everybody. It is not a weakness to ask for help, on the contrary it makes you stronger. I am happy to have started this journey with her, we have a lot of results. The position of goalkeeper is one of the most difficult roles that one can choose but also the most beautiful. I have the adrenaline that only football gives you and these are the most beautiful sensations that exist”, he said. A detail far from being boring to maintain regularity, solidity and assurance in good performances.
