Gianluigi Donnarumma has opened up on his excitement at working under Enzo Maresca, reflecting on the new Manchester City boss and settling into the city.
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Now into his second season at the Etihad Stadium, Gianluigi Donnarumma has quickly become a mainstay of the Manchester City side. Still only 27-years-old yet vastly experienced, the Italy international is approaching 500 senior appearances and boasts a trophy collection - 14 major club honours plus a European Championship - that marks him out as one of the most decorated goalkeepers active today.
His first campaign in England saw Manchester City fall agonisingly short of Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title, and now, refreshed after a summer break, the Azzurri No.1 and national team captain is relishing the challenge of a new era under Enzo Maresca.
It had been an unusual close-season for the goalkeeper, with Italy - now managed by former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini - having missed out on the summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America.
Donnarumma delivers verdict on Enzo Maresca
Speaking to Manchester City's official club website, Gianluigi Donnarumma touched on a number of subjects - starting with the man now charged with leading the club forward beyond the Pep Guardiola era.
The No.1 choice goalkeeper at the Etihad Stadium was vocal about his enthusiasm for new head coach Enzo Maresca, while also paying tribute to the manager who brought him to Manchester in the first place.
“Yes, I am very excited about Maresca,” Donnarumma said. “I have to thank Pep, who strongly wanted me here last season. I am genuinely proud to be part of this group, and being wanted and coached by Pep made it even more special for me.
“Now there is Coach Enzo. He has already been a winner at Manchester City, he knows the club and the environment, and he can give us a lot. He is very well prepared, and we listen carefully to everything he says. He has done very well at every club he has been at.”
The 27-year-old shot-stopper also drew on some painful first-hand experience of Enzo Maresca’s work, having come up against him during the Italian’s time at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea.
“He beat me 3-0 at the Club World Cup when he was Chelsea manager and I was the PSG goalkeeper, so I know what to expect,” he added. “We have started well under him. We just need to keep listening to him and keep getting better and better as we go along.”
A summer wedding with an Erling Haaland cameo
Away from football, it proved to be a summer to remember for Gianluigi Donnarumma off the pitch, too, as he married his partner Alessia in the picturesque Italian town of Locorotondo.
The ceremony drew a star-studded guest list, with Roberto Mancini, Kylian Mbappe, and Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland all in attendance - the Norwegian superstar even taking a turn banging the drum on a Viking Row after the vows.
“Yes, I got married and I am really happy,” he smiled. “It was a beautiful ceremony, full of emotions. It was the final step because my partner and I have been living together for many years, so it was a very happy moment in my life.”
Feeling at home in Manchester
Having previously called two of football’s great fashion capitals in Milan and Paris home, Gianluigi Donnarumma says he, Alessia, and baby son Leo have taken to life in Manchester with ease - both in the city and within the walls of the club.
“The truth is, I am doing really well,” he said. “We have got to know people and restaurants, built new friendships, so we really feel at home in the city. I am doing well in Manchester as a city and, above all, at the club, because it’s an amazing club. It’s a family.”
That sense of belonging can only bode well for Manchester City as they chase silverware on multiple fronts this season. With one of the world’s finest goalkeepers settled, content and hungry for more, Enzo Maresca has a serial winner between his posts - and Gianluigi Donnarumma is determined to add plenty more to a glittering collection before he is done.
That started with Tuesday's UEFA Champions League curtain-raiser away at FC Porto and a commanding 0-2 win over the Portuguese champions, before turning attentions back to Premier League action at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon in the first Manchester derby of the season.