After four years of good and loyal service, punctuated by a historic hat-trick last season, Gianluigi Donnarumma left Paris Saint-Germain by the small door. A contractual conflict, a tactical disagreement with Luis Enrique, and here is the hero of the Champions League away, then sold at Manchester City. During his official presentation in England, his first words were expected. Was he going to settle his accounts? No. He did much stronger.
“The best club in the world”, “the best coach in the world”
Donnarumma did not attack PSG. He praised Manchester City. And this is where all the subtlety of the message lies. “Being so strongly desired by the best club in the world makes me proud”he said, before continuing on his new coach: “Being trained by Guardiola is an indescribable emotion. I can progress so much with him. »» Each compliment addressed to its new environment sounds like an implicit criticism of the old.
By insisting on having been “Strongly desired” By City and Guardiola, he highlights the lack of consideration he felt in Paris. Speaking of his margin of ” progression “ Under the orders of the Catalan coach, he implies that in Paris, he may have reached a ceiling, not because of his talent, but because of the framework. It is a tackle in finesse, but a tackle anyway.
Donnarumma chooses praise to criticize PSG
Donnarumma is finally said to be desired
This speech shows how badly his departure from Paris was. The player was “frozen” of the first team, forced to leave when he had just had a historic season. The club made a choice, that of youth with Lucas Chevalier, and a profile more suited to the game of Luis Enrique. A sporting choice that defends itself, but which has left human scars.
Today, Donnarumma has turned the page. His enthusiasm is palpable, and he seems sincerely happy to join a project where he feels at the center of attentions. But his statements are also a reminder. They underline the difference between a stable institution like City, where the coach is a builder, and a PSG who, despite his successes, sometimes struggles to manage his stars. Donnarumma did not need to criticize. He just needed to compare.
