Milan ultras not just printed ‘a million’ fake banknotes to throw at Gianluigi Donnarumma, they also wrote an open letter of why they feel so betrayed by his move to PSG. ‘Dear Mercenary…’
It kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 GMT.
This is his first return to the stadium as an opponent since leaving as a free agent to join PSG in the summer of 2021, when he rejected a new contract that could’ve seen him sold for a good €80m.
He was greeted by loud jeers and insulting chants during the warm-up, but this was to be expected.
It was also why his warm-up was a little later than usual, giving him only a couple of minutes at the mercy of the crowd before Milan emerged for their warm-up too.
Handing out thousands of fake banknotes, Milan ultras also wrote an open letter to Donnarumma in their fanzine.
“Dear Mercenary… Being the romantic dreamers that we are, we Milanisti expected Gianluigi Donnarumma to behave like a declared Rossoneri fan. We expected gratitude from someone who like us said he only had Milan in his heart, albeit aware that in today’s football it is difficult to resist certain calls.
“Milan too certainly deserved recognition from Donnarumma for all the club had done for him, for having chosen him, raised him and launched his Serie A career. Milan, who in the years when negotiating with Donnarumma were struggling financially, could’ve earned an important sum from his sale, if he had not tried in every possible way to leave as a free agent.
“If he had allowed Milan to earn from his sale, Donnarumma would’ve shown his recognition and even his love for the Diavolo, albeit in an unusual manner, to thank those who made his childhood dreams come true.
“But the story went a different way to what we hoped and deserved, as we were taken for a ride, with Milan forced to give up on an investment they had worked on.
“For tonight we printed up a million fake banknotes to throw at Donnarumma. If the goalkeeper is under the Curva Sud in the first half, at the 10th minute to mark the 10 million he took to go to Paris, we will throw.
“If Donnarumma is under the Curva Sud in the second half, it will be just before the game restarts.”
The ultras noted that they will use the money raised from these printed dollars to give to local football schools.
They then summed up his career with the Rossoneri, from the youth academy to receiving his Serie A debut under coach Sinisa Mihajlovic at the age of 16 and becoming a hero for the fans.
“It all seemed perfect. A goalkeeper who supported Milan, grew up in the Rossoneri squad, starting in Serie A at the age of 16, all the prospects for the fans to see him as an icon, someone who could add to the historic pages of legends like Maldini, Rivera, Baresi.
“A romantic story that only football can tell, but it was not to have a happy ending. And the fault was not of the Milan fans.”