EURO 2020 Player of the Tournament Gianluigi Donnarumma has signed a five-year deal and joined PSG on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at AC Milan, the Ligue 1 club announced on Wednesday.
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Donnarumma had long been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain once it became clear he wasn’t likely to re-sign with AC Milan, where he debuted at age 16 and held down the starting job for the ensuing six seasons. A bit of quick math reveals that Donnarumma is, in fact, a European champion (where he became a penalty-shootout hero in the semifinal and final) and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at the age of 22 — from PSG’s website:
“I am delighted to be part of this huge club. I feel ready to take on this new challenge and continue to grow here. With Paris, I want to win as much as possible and to bring joy to the supporters.”
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The arrival of Donnarumma almost certainly means that incumbent no. 1 goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, will either be relegated to backup duties, as was the case at Real Madrid when Thibaut Courtois was signed in 2018, or leave the club altogether in search of a starting job elsewhere.
👍😁#WelcomeGigio pic.twitter.com/p9r3EqPddF
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 14, 2021
PSG Chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi has said the following:
“We are delighted to welcome Gianluigi Donnarumma to Paris Saint-Germain. We congratulate him on his UEFA EURO 2020 success and winning Player of the Tournament.
“I know Gianluigi will receive a warm Parisian welcome from everyone at the club, including his teammates, our staff and all the supporters.”
