Gianluigi Donnarumma could not prevent Italy from losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup qualifier and has been forced to deny reports in the fallout of their failure
Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy speaks to the media
Gianluigi Donnarumma has been upset by recent reports(Image: Tiziano Ballabio/Getty Images)
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Gianluigi Donnarumma has denied reports that the Italy squad had demanded a bonus if they qualified for the World Cup. Italy will not be at the 2026 World Cup this summer after losing a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties.
It will be the third consecutive World Cup that the Azzurri have not played in, a dreadful record for a traditional football powerhouse. Italy won Euro 2020, yet have consistently underperformed in World Cup qualifying in recent years.
Gennaro Gattuso was unable to change that and stepped down as manager following their defeat by Bosnia on March 31. The country has been reeling from the failure and reports that players had requested a bonus for making it to the tournament in United States, Canada and Mexico had made things worse.
But Manchester City goalkeeper Donnarumma has now set the record straight in an attempt to win back the support of a disillusioned fanbase. "I was hurt more by the comments [from the media], by the words that were said," he told Sky Sports Italia.
"As captain, I never went to ask the Italian national team for a single euro. What the national team does, as always, in every competition, is give a gift to the players who qualify for a tournament. That was all there was to it, but nobody asked the federation for anything. Our reward was getting to go to the World Cup."
Donnarumma has 81 caps for his country, has been captain since May 2024 and posted an emotional message on Instagram in the wake of their defeat. "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 you, fans of our national team, are feeling it too," he wrote.
The failure saw manager Gattuso leave, football federation president Gabriele Gravina resign and Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon step down as the team's delegation chief.
Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy
Gianluigi Donnarumma was distraught after Italy's defeat(Image: Getty)
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"I had a wonderful rapport with Gattuso, Buffon and Gravina," Donnarumma added. "I'm especially sorry for them. It's only natural that we feel responsible for what's happening.
"These have been very tough, gruelling days -- just as they have been for all Italians who cared so much about the World Cup, as we did. Unfortunately, we didn't make it; we have to accept that. It hurts a lot; I've found it very hard to come to terms with it."
He added: "We have to start afresh, move on. We have to bounce back; there are four years until the next World Cup, and in the meantime there are major competitions like the European Championship and the Nations League.
"Before thinking about the World Cup, we need to focus on these big tournaments in between and we need to start again strongly straight away."
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