“Has nine other fingers”
Donnarumma roars in pain, Mancini jokes
06/05/2022, 09:08 am
The nature of the injury is not yet known, but Gianluigi Donnarumma’s initial reaction suggests the worst. The Italy international goalkeeper is writhing in pain, demanding medical attention for his hand. Coach Roberto Mancini jokes shortly afterwards.
The pain that Gianluigi Donnarumma must have felt was unmistakable. The Italy international goalkeeper collided with Antonio Rüdiger in the final stages of the international match and appeared to have injured his hand more seriously. “Gigio”, as he is affectionately known by Squadra Azzurra fans, immediately asked for medical attention. He immediately took off the glove on his left hand. For minutes, the 23-year-old sat on the lawn of the Stadio Dall’Ara in Bologna while the coaches worked hard on his injured fingers.
National coach Roberto Mancini, who remained in office after missing out on qualifying for the World Cup and was quite satisfied with the 1-1 (0-0) win against Germany in view of the change in personnel, the sight of his goalkeeper writhing in discomfort was apparently not the least bit worrying. “He has a problem with his finger,” said the coach of the reigning European champions, before stating: “But he has nine more.”
Exactly how Donnarumma was injured is not yet known, but Mancini said he was not worried. The keeper will “stay and keep playing”. In the Nations League, Italy meets Hungary in the second group game on Tuesday, then England, before the summer break begins after the second leg against the DFB-Elf in Mönchengladbach.
Pictures show Donnarumma with ice packs on his left hand while several staff members from the Italian delegation tend to him. Although they do not radiate too much concern, the goalkeeper, who is only 23 years old and very experienced, could have been seriously injured. Antonio Rüdiger, the “opponent” in the collision that caused the pain, rushed over with a puzzled expression and had therefore not perceived the aerial duel after a corner kick as so dramatic. The fact that Mancini was able to joke afterwards suggests that the initial excitement in the Italian team quickly subsided.