Christian Abbiati says Gigio Donnarumma “has everything” to be Gianluigi Buffon’s heir but “he can improve with his feet”.
The Milan goalkeeper is expected to make his first Italy start tonight when the Azzurri take on the Netherlands, and his former teammate believes he can be the starting ‘keeper for club and country for many years to come.
“Let’s go forward calmly, but he has everything to come after Gianluigi Buffon,” Abbiati said in an interview with Tutti Convocati.
Christian Abbiati says Gigio Donnarumma “has everything” to be Gianluigi Buffon’s heir but “he can improve with his feet”.
The Milan goalkeeper is expected to make his first Italy start tonight when the Azzurri take on the Netherlands, and his former teammate believes he can be the starting ‘keeper for club and country for many years to come.
“Let’s go forward calmly, but he has everything to come after Gianluigi Buffon,” Abbiati said in an interview with Tutti Convocati.
“He has the numbers, everything. He’s 18-years-old and he can still improve a lot, he has the right character for a goalkeeper, he’s calm.
“He was 16 and not in the best team when he made his debut, and it’s not easy to manage the pressure of San Siro.
“He’s really young, he’s someone who is never satisfied. He enjoys his work, he has passion. He can still improve more with his feet, but since I’ve known him he’s improved a lot in that regard too.
“The role of a goalkeeper has changed a lot since I first started.”
Abbiati won just four Italy caps in his career, largely thanks to the presence of Buffon, who has won 168 caps.
Abbiati retired in the summer of 2016, but his former Azzurri teammate is still going strong, and played his 1000th game on Friday night.
“The passion Gianluigi Buffon has surprises me, he’s a year younger than me. It’s true though that playing for a winning team helps.
“I stopped because it was a difficult year, with all the rumours about the change of ownership I decided to stop, because it was becoming a bit of a drag to go to Milanello.
“It’s not easy to admit to yourself that you’ve lost the passion, but I was aware of that and I took control of the situation.
“I had another year on my contract, but it was the best solution. I gave way to Donnarumma and [Alessandro] Plizzari.
“In September I played my first legends game, and I was impressed by the competitive spirit, there was a healthy desire to win.
“The future of Italian goalkeeping? With Donnarumma, [Alex] Meret and Plizzari, the Italian school of goalkeepers is working.”