PARIS: Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma admitted that his heart still wanted to stay with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before making a surprise decision to move to Manchester City.
The 26-year-old, who was crowned the world’s best goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, as a result of helping PSG win the Champions League last season, does not deny that the closeness with his teammates makes him reluctant to part ways.
“When you’ve shared so much, spent time together and built a friendship, it’s really hard to leave,” he told AFP.
However, PSG chose to let him go after signing French goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier in the summer transfer window.
Donnarumma then signed a five-year contract with Pep Guardiola’s squad for a transfer value of around 26 million pounds.
He described City as an extraordinary club with extraordinary players and was moved by the welcome they received.
“They accepted me like family, and that was very important to me,” he explained.
In his speech after receiving the Yashin Trophy for the second time after 2021, Donnarumma also expressed his appreciation to his former teammates at PSG.
“This is an honour. Congratulations to the whole team, without them I wouldn’t be here. This is a team success,” he said.