Gianluigi Donnarumma said leaving Milan this summer was not Mino Raiola’s decision and stressed he never ‘spoke to other teams’ before his contract expired.
The Rossoneri goalkeeper didn’t sign a new contract at San Siro and moved to Paris Saint-Germain after helping Italy win UEFA Euro 2020 this summer.
The 22-year-old, capped 33 times by the Azzurri, said he made the decision ‘on my own’ and insisted Raiola only works to ‘satisfy’ his clients.
“There are decisions that have a longer maturation time,” Donnarumma told Il Corriere dello Sport. “I have always made professional choices on my own.
“My family have always left the decision to me and supported me. Mino did the same thing. He respects the wishes of his client 100 per cent and then he does everything to satisfy their requests.”
But the Italy international revealed he never spoke to other teams before leaving the Rossoneri when his contract expired in June.
“I left Milan and I had no contact with other teams,” he continued. “I swear. But I was sure that with a good European Championship, someone would turn up.”
Donnarumma joined the Ligue 1 side on a free transfer and has been joined by Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum and superstar signing Lionel Messi this summer.
“Milan is my home, I have been there eight years and I’ll always be a fan,” he continued. “But life is made of choices, and I want to keep growing.”
He now finds himself training with the Argentina talisman Messi, something he never pictured would happen.
“It’s a theatrical coup, I couldn’t imagine that I would find him here. This is a dream team.”
Stupid! P$G’s money made you blind. A true legend player stick to the club he loves no matter what.
Milan WAS your home, Gigio. It will never be again. Unlike those who have been left angry, I’m not. I only wished that he hadn’t walked out of the backdoor. Not saluting the fans, not explaining his decision, and just disappearing off to the Euro’s is what many will remember him by. Absolutely no questions over his dedication and professionalism on the pitch. I just expected him to have been more of a man, especially after so many years together.
You are a player born in Milan and you should have leave like a real man, nobody would have stopped you, if you renew clubs would still line up to sign you and by then the club get some money from your sell and everyone would understand your goal but you won’t earm what you are earning now and your agent won’t get as much commission as he got and that greed motivated both of you and you left through the back door and that’s what you will be remember for in Milan,. KAKA and SHEVY left when the club needed them badly but did you see the standing ovation they always get when they turn up at San Siro? I don’t think you will ever experience that, money can buy you all the cars and houses which Milan has already given you but not the respect and love you would have earn forever
Yeah right …
Do not speak of Milan, Dollarumma. You and your fat agent will see how you’ll be treated in your “home” if you are ever unfortunate enough to come back here as an opponent.
You are DEAD in your home. Let that sink in you treacherous mercenary. You money sniffing puppet.
He had medicals planned at the beginning of the Euroes with PSG so who is he kidding? That snake knew he would leave but acted like he wants to stay, causing the club missing huge fees for him, the only thing he loves is money, not Milan, hope he rotts on the bench for a long time at the french caliphate.
@Ayodele Ralph Palmer
Gigio wasn’t born in Milan. But I agree with everything else.
The idea that he hadn’t spoken to or agreed anything with another club until his contract had expired is nothing but lies. The same as Messi crying about leaving Barcelona and uttering the same nonsense. Only for him to already be on a jet to Paris to sign a contract less than 48 hours later.
I love all the comments berating the player for making the right decision regarding his own life. Not a single person commenting will leave millions on the table in a relatively short career to be loyal to a shirt and a club.
The money made in football nowadays is obscene and the players look out for themselves as they should.
Everyone when given an opportunity in life to get a better job than the one they’re in would jump at the opportunity. So please get off his back and thank him for the years he stuck around.
Why be mad? This is football. Loyalty rarely exists. This is a rich man’s sport and a greedy man’s sport.
As I’ve said in a different post… The real football is no more…
In Italy, they have suffered not owning their own stadiums, always being overlooked for big tournaments to host, the undervaluation of the teams and players, etc.
However, when prices went up, the fans didn’t run to the stadiums to ‘prove’ they support the club… They called the clubs out and publically addressed them.
If only they did this in other countries too then we wouldn’t have all this going on.
The self titled ‘best’ (most overrated) league in the World ruined the game they claim they created and always is ‘coming home’.
Add the money rich psg, Spanish clubs and even Juve (majority of those wanting Super League) then football is never going to be for the fans again.
You’re a puppet where they insist you must go to the games, buy the tops etc or you’re not a real fan.
Its nonsense.
Messi is an example… Wanted sympathy crying he wanted to stay at Barca… So why did he ‘accept’ 50% cut of his £1mill plus a week contract? He could of played for much less and still be there.
In the end, the passion and love of actually playing football is lost when the kids are chased after and put on 6 figure contracts weekly without having to prove much. Have a good few games and you’re in your national team already.
Great example of a person who loves football Tomassi. If you don’t know.. Look him up.
He wanted to stay and play for Roma that he told them he’d play for nothing to save them money etc. As he loved the club and playing football. By law they said they had to pay him at least minimum which I think was around 12k at the time…. Over the year not week.
The times of Maldini, Baresi, Costurcurta, Tassoti, De Rossi, Totti, etc are gone.
I watch football all over the world… But my love for it is nowhere near where it used to be.
Don’t waste your time and energy over these rich people wanting more. Don’t buy a shirt with their name on it…. If you’re getting one,put your own as you’re the loyal one
“Leaving Milan was my own decision.”
…..no doubt Raiola told him to say that.
It wouldn’t have been difficult to move without screwing the club. The ridiculous thing in all of this is that I don’t think he’s even guaranteed to start at PSG, as Navas was apparently superb last season.
@serie a forever
Truer words have never been spoken.
Money talks and loyalty is non existent. I don’t plane gigio for leaving. He’d been with the club since youth, he’s 22 and a champion of Europe. It’s time for a change and time for growth. Again, he’s 22, and sometimes they need to leave home and grow up on their own.
This pathetic and farcical interview is a slap in the face of Milan fans, a disgusting joke.
There aren’t going to be many more Maldini’s, Bergomi’s, Baresi’s or even a Zanetti for that matter that stay for the love of a club. Del Piero and even Trezeguet stayed with Juve when they went down to Serie B. That’s commitment to be admired.
Donnarumma moving to PSG is simply viewed from a fan’s perspective as a monetised exercise (considering PSG’s bank accounts). When a club throw’s open its cheque book and says we’ll give you what you want, don’t think any player these days would turn down an opportunity to make a stack more at another club.
A somewhat sad reflection of how football is being monopolised by a select few clubs that are on an entirely different level financially to the rest of the chasing pack.
Very difficult to compete with a club of PSG’s wealth on an economic scale when they’re bank rolled by a state. Heck the Barcelona’s, Bayern’s, Real’s who are also heavy hitters can’t seem to compete with a PSG or a Man City. Nevermind the Italian clubs, we’re simply not considered much of a financial heavyweight these days and probably won’t be for quite some time yet.
Unfortunately, money talks when it comes to football.
I’m not bothered that he wanted to leave. I get it, he wants to compete at the highest level, and staying at Milan means he won’t be realistically competing for the CL trophy any time soon. But I am bothered in the way he left. He let Raiola make ridiculous monetary demands to try to make it impossible for us to keep him, If he wanted to leave he (or his agent) should have just come out and said so, instead of bullshitting us with that ridiculous contract saga. And it would have been nice if he could have renewed with us before leaving, just so we could get a transfer fee for him. Even if it’s just 20 million, which loads of clubs would have been more than happy to pay. Leaving on a free like that after asking for silly money, which he didn’t actually want since he wanted to leave, just ensures he left in the worst possible way.
No one cares that he left, it’s HOW he left. You can’t expect to leave this way and still be remembered fondly. Clubs and fans do expect gratitude and an adequate transfer fee when their youngsters leave. That was his choice and it’s fine, but he will be our enemy forever. Nothing will change that, no one will remember him nicely.
Sure Gigio, you decided to run your contract out to ensure you get the best wage possible, that’s why you told Raiola to put only 2 yrs extension, EVERY SINGLE CONTRACT RENEWAL. so that you could point a gun to Milan‘s head EVERY SEASON asking for a ransom.
Make no mistake, not even Kaka did that to Milan. We improved Kaka’s contract every year, and not the other way around.
Let his be a lesson for our management that for any other player in the future, no matter how great they are, if they didn’t want to extend the contract before their last year, they need to be pushed out of the club. NO EXCEPTIONS. Freeze them out until they leave.
Milan should really learn from how De Laurentiis would deal with this kind of situation
Milan Per Sempre