Gianluigi Donnarumma had possibly the worst night of his life in Italy’s defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he’s woken up to an even bigger storm.
The shot-stopper was unable to prevent Italy missing out on a third-straight World Cup with a shoot-out defeat.
The newspapers suggest he’s the poster boy of the dishonour, given his leading status in the squad as a European treble winner with PSG and current Manchester City star.
Yet he’s also taking up headlines in Bosnia for a number of acts.
Donnarumma was at the centre of melees when Alessandro Bastoni was sent off in the first half and again when the shoot-out ended.
But it was just before that when he may have gone too far.
According to commentators live at the stadium Donnarumma snatched the penalty notes of opposing shot stopper Nikola Vasilj and tore them up.
Noticing at the time, DAZN’s Mario Rieker commented: “Did Donnarumma just tear up the note? I’d say he took a look at it himself.”
Leading Bosnian outlet Sport Sport also noticed the incident, and titled an arctile: “This guy is a disgrace to football: Donnarumma’s unprecedented and unfair move in the penalty shootout!”
Vasilj was so angered by the move that he ended up getting booked by the referee for his protests.
In the end, though, he had the last laugh, and Donnarumma was left crying.
Writing in a social media post the morning after, he said: “Last night, after the match, I cried.
“I cried because of the disappointment of not being able to take Italy where it deserves to be.
“I cried because of the enormous sadness I’m feeling, along with the entire Azzurri team, of which I’m proud to be captain, and I know, right now, you, fans of our national team, are feeling too.”
He continued: “Words are of little use now, it’s true. But I feel one thing strongly inside, and I want to share it with you: after such a huge disappointment, we must find the courage to turn the page, once again. And to do so requires a lot of strength, passion, and conviction.
“Always believing; this is the driving force behind moving forward. Because life rewards those who give their all, without holding back.
“And this is where we must start again. Together. Once again. To bring Italy back to where it deserves to be.”
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