A ball can slip away. "Yes, but you have no idea how angry I got…" One ball and disaster: it happened one October night, at the Estonia house in Tallinn, a mistake that barely affected the result. Two balls can be intercepted and, this time, they are dives that decide the outcome, Udine, the appointment with Israel and, above all, the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup. Gigio Donnarumma is the captain of a ship relaunched by a coach, Rino Gattuso, and a method that acts like a crisis unit: pride and passion, self-confidence and awareness. A blender from which the ticket to the world must emerge.
One, two and… enough.
"The third time will not happen, it cannot happen: this national team will reach the next World Cup. I have no doubts," said Donnarumma to La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview released in this morning's print edition.
Zero doubts, full of certainty…
"The lessons of the past make sense if you make them your own: we will not underestimate anyone, no one will be taken lightly, it would make no sense to do so. And this group cares for each other: we will be ready when the time for the playoffs comes."
Not too far away: the matches will take place in March... Donnarumma said:
"A time that will allow us to sync even more with our coach, to absorb his ideas, to give substance to his football."
Let’s pause the Azzurri issue for a moment: speaking of football, watching from afar, do you like Serie A?
"Yes, a lot. I find it entertaining and if there is entertainment, there is interest."
First from Paris, now from Manchester: he has a privileged, almost unique, vantage point...
"I was lucky to live in very different environments: from Ligue 1 to the Premier League where I arrived recently. From a distance I can say our football is no less than the others."
Yet he stays under the spotlight with a lower gear: everyone says so…
"In England you run from the first to the last minute of the match, here it’s not like that, but it does not mean it’s better or worse. It’s just the way it is…"
Penalty kick: who will win the championship?
"There are four, five teams that will fight until the last curves. And, as I said before, this is what gives Serie A a new dimension."
Second penalty: who looks most likely to win?
"I like Milan, I am intrigued by everything behind their turnaround. I think of Allegri, but not only him."
Milan for the title, then? Donnarumma replied:
"Milan with big ambitions. I spoke with people I know who know the Rossoneri environment well: they believe in it and rightly so."
The rest of the league?
"The strength of Inter, a solid group nourished by recent experience. Conte confirmed at Napoli with the energy and skill of a champion coach, Gasperini’s new Roma with room to improve, and Juventus to consider. There will be entertainment indeed."
First Paris, now Manchester, City side. Listening to Pep Guardiola, what comes to mind?
"At City I feel at home even though little time has passed since my transfer. They wanted me firmly, made me feel important, and now they already consider me one of them…"
And Pep Guardiola?
"When you listen to him, you are captivated. I imagined him like this, but reality is even better than expected. I hope to stay in Manchester as long as possible, to have a truly unique experience."
Guardiola fascinates, and Gattuso…
"Gattuso is always on you, as if he’s behind you every moment of the match. Our coach loves dialogue, talks a lot, explains everything: he quickly restored a strong collective identity."
Will he also bring a World Cup participation?
"The word playoff does not scare us, it will not influence us."
This national team has a healthy, strong, united group: it is often said.
"In this new Italy the group is healthy, strong, united: I can say this with certainty. We feel good together, we are in harmony with each other."
