Gianluigi Donnarumma has a long history with AC Milan. The 24-year-old joined Rosonerri’s youth system in 2013 and got a taste of first-team football in 2015 when he broke into the club’s senior team. He has since left the club to play for PSG, where he currently plays alongside Kylian Mbappe and other world-class players.
The French club traveled to Milan to face AC Milan in the fourth group-stage game on Tuesday, and the San Siro fans did not receive Gianluigi Donnarumma well. The home fans threw fake money at the Italian goalkeeper, indicating the bitter feelings they have towards him, but what happened between them in the first place?
Why did AC Milan fans throw fake money at Gianluigi Donnarumma?
AC Milan and Gigi Donnarumma were in a marriage that was supposed to work out, not end in a dirty divorce. The club gave the big goalkeeper a chance to impress the first team, giving him the perfect atmosphere to test himself at the top level of football, and with one of the most loyal fanbases behind him, Donnarumma had all he wanted as a young footballer.
After six years of first-team football and over 200 senior appearances, Donnarumma finally left Milan after failing to sign a new contract at the club. This pissed off the club’s fanbase, who felt disappointed that the boy they had supported all his life turned on them and their club got nothing for the rich investments they made in him.
On his return to the club for a Champions League game, which PSG lost 2-1, the goalkeeper was taunted almost throughout the match with fake money, which the fans kept throwing at him. According to TNT Sports, Nasser Al-Khelaifi had anticipated the hostile reception and tried to diffuse the situation with some kind words before the match, but this did not work as the home fans got the best of their former goalkeeper.
Kylian Mbappe suffered a defeat from the team he claimed he supported as a child after triumphing 3-0 in the first leg in Paris a fortnight ago.
Why did Gianluigi Donnarumma leave AC Milan?
Donnarumma was born in Naples but grew up supporting AC Milan, the club he joined at 14. The club nurtured him well. When it came time for him to sign a new contract in 2020, super agent Mino Raiola made the deal tough for AC Milan. He asked for a high salary for the young goalkeeper and a hefty agent commission for himself.
Talks broke down in May 2021, and Paolo Maldini, Milan’s Director of Football, announced that the young goalkeeper would be leaving for free at the end of his contract in the summer. The following month, Gianluigi Donnarumma joined PSG on a free transfer and got his wish to earn a fortune as a footballer.
Donnarumma joined the club alongside other players, including Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, and Georginio Wijnaldum. He happens to be one of the two players left from the five that were unveiled two years ago, as Ramos, Wijnaldum, and Messi have been moved on to different clubs, with the latter joining Inter Miami.
This caused anger among AC Milan fans, some of whom would taunt him with fake money whenever he represented Italy for the national team.
Will Gianluigi Donnarumma ever play for AC Milan again?
