Having rocketed to stardom back in 2015, the last 18 months have been difficult for Gianluigi Donnarumma. Seen as the future of the Italian national team following a sensational start to his AC Milan career and still only 19 years old, a bitter contract wrangle and a sharp loss of form have begun to see his performances heavily criticised.
Mistakes have started to creep into his play, and his latest error would come against Portugal in Lisbon this past week, coming out to meet a cross but missing the ball completely and allowing the opposition a simple scoring opportunity.
Fortunately for Donnarumma and Italy, Alessio Romagnoli had anticipated there might be a problem and dropped back to cover, clearing the shot off the line to save his team-mate’s blushes. It’s not the first time the central defender has bailed out his goalkeeper, and it probably won’t be the last.
In contrast to Donnarumma’s meteoric rise to prominence, Romagnoli’s career path had been much more sedate, progressing through the ranks at AS Roma and making a handful of first-team appearances. While clearly gifted, those early outings from the teenager were hardly standout performances and – with the Giallorossi boasting a deep and talented squad – it was no surprise to see the young defender sent out on loan for the 2014/15 campaign.
Joining Sampdoria, he blossomed under the tutelage of Sinisa Mihajlovic, featuring in 30 league matches and showing that he was already a player who could be relied upon. When the Serbian Coach moved to AC Milan at the end of that season, he urged the Rossoneri to snap up his protege, telling the Corriere dello Sport that “Romagnoli is an important player with great potential.”
Clearly enjoying a good relationship with Mihajlovic, it took little to no time for the defender to adjust, becoming a regular at San Siro and over the following three seasons he continued to improve, making his debut for the Italian national team in October 2016 against Spain. Undaunted as Milan overhauled their squad last summer, Romagnoli retained his place in the starting XI despite the plethora of new arrivals, shrugging off the chaos around him to enjoy yet another stellar campaign.
Despite the presence of Leonardo Bonucci, it was Romagnoli who was undeniably the club’s best defender and there is a strong case to be made that – despite Milan spending almost €250 million on the transfer market – he was their most important player. His displays drew comparisons to former Italy and Milan star Alessandro Nesta, the similarities going far beyond merely wearing the no.13 shirt and growing up as Lazio supporters.
Like Nesta, Romagnoli always appears calm, carries himself with a dignified elegance and is comfortable on the ball, completing 91.4% of his passes last term. He is also a difficult proposition for strikers to play against, strong in the tackle, excellent at reading the way opponents will move and constantly making timely interceptions.
A complete defender, he is crucial to the possession-based style Coach Gennaro Gattuso wants his Milan to adopt. Furthermore, Romagnoli has emerged as an important figure in the dressing room and, despite being just 23 years old, he was appointed as club Captain this summer when Bonucci returned to Juventus.
“It’s already wonderful to play for Milan, now wearing the captain’s armband is just a fantastic feeling and it fills me with pride,” he told the club’s official website as his appointment was confirmed. “Great champions have worn this band in the past so I hope to honour it. I think every player has to improve and believe there are no limits.
“I expect to play better than last season,” Romagnoli continued. “I want to improve on many aspects because you can always be better, and to give my all for Milan, to give 100% on the pitch and try my best to achieve great things.”
He is the youngest player to be handed the Milan captaincy since Franco Baresi – then 22 – was handed the armband back in 1982, and Romagnoli is a player who, like Baresi and Paolo Maldini before him, could become a long-term pillar or a resurgent Rossoneri side. “I’m rooting for him,” Nesta told Sky Italia last month. “Like me he plays for Milan and he’s a Lazio fan, so I hope he can do even more than I did!”
While that will not be easy, his boyhood idol is not the only club legend to be singing the praises of the new Captain. “I think that Romagnoli is one of the strongest defenders in Italy right now,” Gattuso told reporters late last season and it is impossible to argue with that assessment.
Just ask Gianluigi Donnarumma.
