Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma could become the first goalkeeper to be suspended purely for a yellow card offense, having already received four bookings this season.
Gianluigi Donnarumma could end up writing an unwanted piece of Premier League history for Manchester City as he walks a disciplinary tightrope over the coming weeks.
The Italian No. 1 is one spot away from becoming the first goalkeeper in history to be suspended for accumulating five yellow cards. He has only played 10 games for his new club since joining from PSG in the summer, but his antics are already putting him in trouble.
He was shown a yellow card for dissent in Saturday’s 3-2 win against Leeds. It was the third time the player had been booked for the attack during his short spell in England. He was also shown a yellow card for wasting time.
That means the 26-year-old will have to be cautious not only against Fulham on Tuesday night, but also in the next five league games. After City’s game at Sunderland on New Year’s Day, the number of yellows required for a suspension increased to 10, potentially saving Donnarumma.
He is not the only goalkeeper to be sent off for such an offense, but it will be important to know how close the yellow card is against him. Former Arsenal shot-stopper Jens Rehamn holds the record for a goalkeeper with eight goals in the 2006/07 season.
read more: Man City face two requests to leave as summer transfers change player situationread more: Man City fan breaks leg in ‘brutal attack’ inside Etihad Stadium against Leeds
Donnarumma has been very successful since moving to Manchester from Paris. It became clear that PSG wanted to move on without the Italian and it was City who acted quickly to secure his signature, and he has already shown his quality with some sensational saves.
He made headlines over the weekend when he went down with an apparent injury and had to stop playing. This allowed City players to go to the touchline and receive instructions from Pep Guardiola during Leeds’ dominance – and Whites manager Daniel Farke insisted he knew what he was doing.
“We all know why he went down. It’s obvious why he went down. It’s within the rules. It’s the sensible thing to do. If I like it, if it’s the way it should be from a fair play standpoint, then I’ll take it in my head.” I’ll leave it to the authorities to find a solution. I asked the fourth officer if he wanted to do anything at this point, and he said, ‘No, our hands are tied, we can’t do anything.’
Falke called on authorities to change the rules, claiming goalkeepers were falling or getting injured to stop play. Unlike outfield players, goaltenders cannot continue playing while receiving treatment, creating a loophole that coaches can exploit if they want to issue additional instructions during a game.
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