Criticized Donnarumma sends message to Musiala
Gianluigi Donnarumma faced harsh criticism, particularly from Manuel Neuer, over Jamal Musiala's injury. The PSG goalkeeper has now spoken out himself.
Violent physical action with consequences: Gianluigi Donnarumma reacts with shock to Jamal Musiala's injury. Kai Pfaffenbach-Reuters via Imagn Images
In the scene in which Jamal Musiala was so badly injured against Paris Saint-Germain, absolutely everything went wrong: First, Sacha Boey didn't run through to Michael Olise's through ball, so Musiala went after it instead. Then Willian Pacho forced Gianluigi Donnarumma wide of his goal because he decided not to clear the situation himself. And then the goalkeeper dove so hard for the ball that it crashed. Too hard?
After the Club World Cup exit, the opinion of those involved in Bayern was clear. Sporting director Max Eberl explicitly didn't want his comments on Saturday evening to be interpreted as an accusation, but he also repeatedly emphasized that Donnarumma had accepted the risk of injury and shown "no consideration." Manuel Neuer was even more explicit.
"That was a situation where you didn't necessarily have to go in like that," the Bayern veteran accused his fellow goalkeeper. "You simply accept the injury of your opponent – it could even be a teammate." Because the halftime whistle had already blown, he confronted Donnarumma and said: "Don't you want to go over there? Jamal is lying there, and he'll most likely stay in the hospital for a while. And I think it's appropriate to go over there out of respect, wish him all the best, and say a little 'sorry.'"
Neuer: "Whether you believe him is something everyone has to decide for themselves."Donnarumma did just that. Beforehand, he, like the other onlookers, had reacted with visibly shocked by Musiala's injury, burying his face in his hands. But even that didn't really appease Neuer. "Whether you believe him is something everyone has to decide for themselves. I would have reacted differently."
Donnarumma himself did not speak to the media after reaching the semi-finals, but sent a public message via Instagram: "All my prayers and good wishes are with you, Jamal Musiala," wrote Italy's national goalkeeper.
