Donnarumma: ‘Nobody at Italy asked for a bonus; we feel sorry for Gravina, Buffon & Gattuso’
Gianluigi Donnarumma has broken his silence on one of the darkest weeks in Italian football history, addressing the bonus controversy that emerged in the aftermath of the World Cup playoff defeat to Bosnia while paying tribute to the three figures who have since stepped down from their roles.
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The Manchester City goalkeeper, who served as Italy captain during the playoff campaign, spoke to Sky Sport, via TMW, in a reflective and emotional interview that covered everything from the personal pain of a third consecutive World Cup absence to the damaging reports that surfaced about bonus demands from within the squad.
For Donnarumma, those reports cut particularly deep. “What hurt me most was what came out,” he said. “As captain I never went to ask the Italian national team for a single euro. What happens at the national team, as always in every competition, is that a gift is given to players if they reach a target. That was all it was, and nobody asked the federation for anything. Our gift was going to the World Cup. Unfortunately that did not happen.”
It was a firm and unambiguous denial from a player who clearly felt the integrity of the group was being called into question at an already painful moment.
“I was hurt more by the comments and the words that came out than anything else,” he added.
Italy goalkeeper Donnarumma: ‘We feel sorry for Gigi, Gattuso & Gravina’
The departures of Gabriele Gravina, Gennaro Gattuso and Gianluigi Buffon have added another layer of emotion to an already bruising period. Donnarumma was generous in his words for all three, and visibly affected by the chain of resignations that followed the Zenica defeat.
“I had a wonderful relationship with Gigi, with Gattuso, with Gravina,” he said. “We feel sorry above all for them, it is natural that you feel somewhat responsible for everything that is happening now, and it hurts. But I want to thank the manager, the president and Gigi, because they gave an important contribution.”
Despite the pain, the goalkeeper was determined to frame the situation within a broader context.
Italy’s record-breaking winning streak and the European Championship triumph of 2021 remain genuine achievements, and Donnarumma was insistent that the country’s footballing identity is not beyond repair. “In these years, beyond the disappointments, we have achieved important things,” he said. “Not everything should be thrown away.”
His message for the future was simple but heartfelt. “It is hard, but we must move forward with strength and with the awareness that Italy will return strong, will return great.”
With the Nations League and European Championship still to come before any future World Cup campaign, the rebuilding process begins sooner than many might think.
“The first two days were very hard and tiring,” Donnarumma admitted. “It hurts, it really hurts. The first days I struggled to process it. But the truth is that you have to restart, move forward, react.”