“I want to repay Pep” – Manchester City’s £26M star targeting UEFA Champions League glory | OneFootball

Manchester City and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is looking to repeat his UEFA Champions League heroics from Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium.

The 26-year-old has been a revelation since he completed a sensational £26 million deadline day transfer to City from the Parc des Princes, with Hugo Viana rounding off his first summer as the club’s new director of football in style.

Donnarumma’s capture has been widely hailed as the best deal of the summer, with Viana receiving huge plaudits for his shrewd recruitment after also engineering deals for Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders to help mitigate the notable loss of Kevin De Bruyne.

James Trafford has warmed the bench since Donnarumma stepped foot in Manchester and there is little the 22-year-old Englishman can do to displace the Italian, who has instilled a vial on confidence in a dressing room that lost many leaders in the summer.

Speaking as part of Manchester City’s official club magazine for November, Donnarumma reflected on his start to life in England and how the AC Milan graduate is adapting to the demands of the Premier League.

“I think the environment here is different. Playing in England, the atmosphere, the noise and the passion from the fans is very unique to this country and because I will now always be playing English teams in the Premier League,” Donnarumma said.

The former PSG man, who fell out with former manager Luis Enrique and the French club’s board over contract renewal talks in the summer, spearheaded the Parisians to their maiden UEFA Champions League title last season.

City, on the other hand, endured their most challenging season under Guardiola last season as they failed to mount a challenge for the Premier League, exited the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid in the Round of 16 and lost the 2025 FA Cup final.

After becoming City’s seventh and arguably the hallmark addition of the summer, Donnarumma is vying to lead the Blues – who broke their own European duck in 2023 – back to UEFA Champions League glory.

“I hope I can repeat those performances (from the Champions League) every week for City,” the Italian added. “I played in those games against Arsenal, Liverpool and City and enjoyed them all – now I want to repay the faith the coach, owner and board has put in me. I’m sure we’ll do great things together.

On what he looks forward to about life in Manchester for the future, Donnarumma added: “A lot – I can’t wait to get around and try out new places and discover new things. Each city gives you new experiences and I can’t wait to see everything and experience them with my family.

“I’m sure they will be happy here and I’m already enjoying this new adventure. I’m here to win, make history, but most of all to make the fans proud and win a lot of trophies together as it’s an historic club that deserves to be as high as possible.”

Donnarumma has quickly embedded into the Manchester City squad and has drawn huge praise from the likes of Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias over his seamless integration into the ranks at the Etihad Stadium, reflecting his experience as well as the respect and admiration he commands from his teammates.