On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain faced Liverpool at Anfield in the return leg of the Champions League 2024-2025 Round of 16. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma spoke to FIFA.com after the English side’s penalty shoot-out victory (1-1 on aggregate, then 1-4 on penalties – Liverpool/PSG video summary). He talked about his preparations for the shoot-out, and the criticism levelled at him.
Gigio #Donnarumma à Sky : “Pourquoi j’ai couru au vestiaire avec les TAB ? Pour faire pipi (rires). Non en vrai, j’avais préparé quelque chose avec mon préparateur des gardiens. Les critiques ? Je suis content de répondre à des pseudo journalistes qui parlent sans savoir ce… pic.twitter.com/yoGgMKqm6Q
— GuillaumeMP (@Guillaumemp) March 11, 2025
“Why did I run to the locker room with the TABs? To pee (laughs). No, really, I’d prepared something with my goalkeeping coach. The criticism? I’m happy to respond to pseudo-journalists who talk without knowing what a goalkeeper’s job is. In the first leg, we had a shot on target and a goal. They think it was my fault. But it doesn’t matter, I’m still working and I’m still smiling.”
It’s true that Donnarumma can be frustrating at times. That said, he is sometimes impressive. His qualities are remarkable, his flaws visible. In the case of the first leg, you could hear more the frustration of the fans after the immense Parisian performance. They needed someone to blame, and Donnarumma was always the one to blame. And yet, he delivered his benchmark performance against the Reds in the return leg.
He was imperial, relieved his defence in the air, scored a clean sheet and, above all, qualified the team for the penalty shoot-out. It’s fair to say, though, that he hasn’t yet won over the world, and we’ll be waiting for him in other matches. Rather than always being suspicious, why not acknowledge that his benchmark performance came in a very high-level match?
