Coach Gianluigi Donnarumma was unable to prevent Italy from losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in World Cup qualifying and was forced to deny reports in the aftermath of the defeat.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is upset by recent reports (Image: Tiziano Ballabio/Getty Images)
Coach Gianluigi Donnarumma has denied reports that he was demanding a bonus if Italy qualify for the World Cup. Italy will not take part in this summer’s 2026 World Cup after losing on penalties in the playoffs against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is the third consecutive time the Azzurri have not played in the World Cup, a frightening record for a traditional soccer powerhouse. Although Italy won Euro 2020, they have consistently underperformed in World Cup qualifying in recent years.
Coach Gennaro Gattuso was unable to change that and resigned as manager after the loss to Bosnia on March 31st. The country is reeling from the failure, which was reportedly made worse by players demanding bonuses to compete in tournaments in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
But Manchester City goalkeeper Donnarumma has broken records to win back support from a disillusioned fan base. “The comments[from the media]and the words that were said hurt more,” he told Sky Sports Italia.
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“As captain, I never went to ask the Italian national team for a single euro. As always in any competition, what the national team does is give gifts to the players who qualify for the tournament. That was it, but no one asked the federation for anything. Our reward was to qualify for the World Cup.”
Donnarumma, who has 81 international caps and has been captain since May 2024, posted an emotional message on Instagram following the defeat. “I cried because of the great sadness that I feel along with the entire Azzurri team. I am proud to be captain and I know that the fans of the national team feel the same way,” he said.
The failure led to the resignation of coach Gattuso, the resignation of FA president Gabriele Gravina and the resignation of Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon as team president.
Gianluigi Donnarumma distraught over Italy’s defeat (Image: Getty)
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“I had a great relationship with Gattuso, Buffon and Gravina,” Donnarumma added. “I especially feel sorry for them. It’s natural that we feel responsible for what’s happening.
“It was a very tough, tough day. For all the Italians who cared so much about the World Cup, and so did we. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take part. We have to accept that. It hurts very much. We found it very difficult to come to terms with the situation.”
He added: “We have to start fresh and move forward. We have to bounce back. There are four years until the next World Cup and in between there are big competitions like the European Championship and the Nations League.”
“Before we think about the World Cup, we need to focus on the big tournaments in between and we need to start strong again soon.”
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