Donnarumma: Emotional to face Napoli, future with Azzurri? We'll see | OneFootball

On the eve of Manchester City-Napoli, Pep Guardiola and Gigio Donnarumma spoke at a press conference. The Citizens' goalkeeper transferred from PSG at the end of the market, but he grew up in AC Milan's youth sector. The captain of the Italian national team took his first steps in Campania, particularly in Castellamare di Stabia, which is why the match against the Azzurri is very important for him.

Manchester City-Napoli, Donnarumma's words at the press conference

Tomorrow is the day of Manchester City-Napoli. It's the Champions League debut for the boys coached by Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte. Today, alongside the Spanish coach, Gigio Donnarumma, born and raised in Castellamare di Stabia before moving to Milan where he debuted in Serie A at 16, spoke at the press conference. Here are his words on the eve of the match against Napoli.

On Guardiola's words about him

“I thank the coach, it's an honor for me to be here and to be coached by him, who has written football history. I still have a lot to learn and improve, that's my goal. I always want to give my all for the team.”

Do you plan to stay long?

“I was very clear: my desire was to come here, it was my first and only option. I don't think about the future, I've already said what I think about being here. I'm happy to be at City and to be part of this great team, I hope to give a lot to these colors for many more years.”

On the possible City victory in the Champions League

“It's definitely one of the goals. We have to dream big, but the important thing is to think game by game. Tomorrow will be a tough match, we'll face a strong team with many of my national teammates.”

The Italian goalkeeper then spoke about the difficulties in facing Napoli

“The difficulties concern Conte's preparation, I know how he works. I know it will be tough to defend and tough to attack, it will be very complicated for us because Napoli will defend well. In attack, there are new players who are very strong, they come from the Premier League and therefore know how to face City. It will be tough for us, we will need to be attentive. I know many Napoli players and I will try to give indications to my defenders, especially on Politano and Di Lorenzo with whom I have a great relationship. Napoli will come here to play a great match and we will have to be careful for 95 minutes.”

“Napoli has a great team, they can go very far and I hope they do because I am very attached to the city. I am superstitious, I won't say how much but I hope they can stay in the competition for a long time.”

His relationship with Napoli

“I have many friends there and I am excited to face the team. My family and my mom are a bit in difficulty, but I hope they will cheer for me…”

Which Napoli player do you fear

“In the Champions League, you always have to give something extra. For me, one of the most dangerous is McTominay, but I also think of Hojlund, I saw the last league match against Fiorentina… They have strong wingers and make important vertical plays, we will need to be attentive and focused the whole match because they have pace and intuition, this is what I will tell my teammates and the coach to prepare for the match. I am happy to face Napoli in this very beautiful match. Napoli will certainly be ready for the Champions League, they have shown it with important matches and I am happy about this, both for the players and for the city.”

Possible future at Napoli?

“We'll see, anything can happen…”

Which team will your son support in Italy?

“I lived 8 years at Milan and I am a fan of Milan, as well as of Napoli. It will be hard for me to choose, so the decision will be entirely his.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.