The fallout continues from Gianluigi Donnarumma’s collision with Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala during Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 win in the Club World Cup on Saturday.
The goalkeeper, who was widely criticized for his actions after the hit, seems upset about the implication that he did anything with intent.
“I’m very shocked by what happened, it was certainly not my intention to hurt Musiala,” Donnarumma told La Gazzetta dello Sport (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Donnarumma’s agent Vincenzo Raiola also issued statements to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It’s a matter of tenths of a second – it only takes a moment for the save to turn into a penalty. Gigio was first to get to the ball and could no longer avoid the challenge. It’s unfair to think that he wanted to hurt Musiala, whom we hope recovers as soon as possible to come back stronger than before,” said Raiola. “It wasn’t his intention to pretend nothing had happened. Gigio is a very sensitive guy. He wouldn’t have been able to stand the scene and preferred to walk away and let the doctors take care of Musiala. He even sent me a message at half time to tell me he was shaken and that he hadn’t done it on purpose.
“I understand (Manuel) Neuer — it’s normal for him to defend his teammate. And he’s also right when he says that you can react differently. It’s true but we are all different and everyone reacts the way they can. It was an episode of play in the eternal duel between goalkeepers and attackers. In December, Gigio almost lost an eye in a clash with a Monaco player. And Neuer also punched Higuaín in 2014. Then he apologized even though he said that he wanted to avert a danger for his team, knowing that he risked hurting the opponent.”
This should mark the end of the controversy, but the lasting effects of Musiala’s absence will be felt for months to come for Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala will be out for months and now the club could be on the lookout for some help. Will Vincent Kompany and Max Eberl looking to lean on internal options or take a gander out at the transfer market for the attacking midfield position? Things just got more difficult, especially when considering the team’s No. 1 priority is at left-wing and a close No. 2 could be center-back. Let’s talk about how it might all play out on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Acast, Spotify, any leading podcast distributor, or below: