Donnarumma: It’s not easy to make your debut for Milan at the age of 16. I will always be grateful to Miha for giving me the opportunity.

On October 25, Donnarumma accepted an exclusive interview with the "Post" and talked about his senior team debut at the age of 16, the European Cup final against England.

This Saturday coincides with the 10th anniversary of Donnarumma's debut for the Milan senior team. Recalling this game, he said: "I barely slept well before that game, but you know that when you are young, you will be more fearless and can be more relaxed. But I was really nervous about that game, after all, I was too young."

"I felt I will have a great future, but it is not easy to make your debut for a club like Milan at the age of 16. As for now, for me, I am living the dream. I am always grateful to my first coach Mihajlovic (died of cancer in 2022), who gave me the opportunity, which was very important for my career and all achievements. starting point. Now at Manchester City I'm hungry for more and that's why I'm here. "

Talking about his technical advantages, Donnarumma said: "I have a very obvious height advantage, which is really helpful, but the most important thing is to be able to make the save first. The goalkeeper must also be able to loudly direct the defense to make your teammates feel safe. I'm quite tall so I try to cover as much space in the penalty area as possible. The key is also to maintain balance and know when you can leave the goal line and when you can't. This is very important because any excessive behavior will be counterproductive. "

"So we have to be flexible in responding to various situations, and I am in the corner kick defense. My first priority is to support my team, who need me to have a strong presence in the penalty area. At Manchester City, the team will be prepared for every detail on the field. We know that Arsenal's corner kicks are very threatening and difficult to deal with, so the team needs my help. "

Recalling the European Cup final against England four years ago, Donnarumma said: "To be honest, playing against England at Wembley was an extremely difficult game, but we were convinced that we could defeat any opponent. Although there were not many of our fans in the audience, it also stimulated our fighting spirit and made us more eager to prove ourselves. And we did that, we played a great game. Although Inge Lan took the lead in the opening game with home field advantage and put us in a difficult position. But when we adjusted, I think it was possible for us to win the game in 90 minutes, and we created a lot of chances. "

Talking about the penalty shootout, Donnarumma said: "I couldn't remember the penalty rounds at the time. I had no idea that I won after I saved Saka's penalty kick. I was completely focused on the penalty shootout and thinking about helping the team win the game. I was very frustrated after Jorginho missed the penalty kick because it was almost impossible for him to miss the penalty kick. I had to celebrate his goal, so I was very shocked. Then I saved the penalty and saw someone running towards me and I realized I had won. "