PSG: Donnarumma says "right time" to leave, Rico gives verdict

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·16 octobre 2025

PSG: Donnarumma says "right time" to leave, Rico gives verdict

Sergio Rico, goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain from 2020 to 2024 and now in Qatar, was invited by Le Parisien to comment on Gianluigi Donnarumma’s (26 years old) move to Manchester City last summer, while PSG had encouraged him to leave.

Rico: “He had just had an exceptional season”

“He had just had an exceptional season, as did the whole team, by the way. They were all spectacular, worked hard to win almost every competition. It was probably the right time to leave, even though everyone was happy with him and he was also happy in Paris.”

Rico clearly doesn’t want to take too strong a stance about his former teammate or PSG, but he ends up delivering a simple message that seems quite fair. Donnarumma had a great season with Paris, which doesn’t change the fact that it could be a time to part ways.

Vidéos OneFootball

The contract situation called for a clear choice, and Paris saw the opportunity to move toward a different style with Lucas Chevalier (23 years old). He needs a natural adaptation period, even if some don’t want to wait. As for the Italian, he was able to leave through the front door and join Manchester City, another great club with a very strong team, ambition, and a renowned coach, Pep Guardiola.

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