Gianluigi Donnarumma had to listen to harsh criticism, especially from Manuel Neuer, for Jamal Musiala’s injury. Now the PSG keeper has spoken out himself.
Everything went wrong in the scene in which Jamal Musiala was seriously injured against Paris Saint-Germain: First, Sacha Boey failed to run onto Michael Olise’s through ball, which meant that Musiala went after the ball instead. Then Willian forced Gianluigi Donnarumma far out of his goal because he decided not to clear the situation himself. And then the goalkeeper jumped so vehemently toward the ball that there was a collision. Too vehemently?
After the club’s World Cup exit, the opinion of those involved at Bayern was clear. Although sporting director Max Eberl explicitly did not want his words on Saturday evening to be taken as a reproach, he emphasized just as often that Donnarumma had accepted the risk of injury and had shown “no consideration.” Manuel Neuer was even clearer.
“That was a situation where you don’t necessarily have to go in like that,” the Bayern veteran reproached his fellow goalkeeper. “You just accept the risk of injuring your opponent – it could also be a teammate.” Because the half-time whistle had already sounded, he confronted Donnarumma and said: “Don’t you want to go over there? Jamal is lying there and will most likely have to stay in hospital. I think it’s only right to go over there out of respect, wish him well and say a quick ‘sorry’.”
Neuer: “Everyone has to decide for themselves whether to believe him.”
That’s what Donnarumma did. Like the others around him, he had reacted visibly shocked to Musiala’s injury and buried his face in his hands. But even that didn’t really appease Neuer. “Everyone has to decide for themselves whether they believe him. I would have reacted differently.”
Donnarumma himself did not speak to the media after reaching the semi-finals, but sent a public message via Instagram: “All my prayers and best wishes are with you, Jamal Musiala,” wrote Italy’s national goalkeeper.
