Donnarumma: The pain of missing the World Cup has not yet subsided; we must reignite the passion of the fans.

In an interview, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma said that although he and his teammates are still saddened that the "Azzurri" will not be able to participate in the World Cup, they also emphasized that the current goal is to start over and look forward, and to reignite the passion of the fans.

The first round of Group A matches in the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League will begin, with Italy hosting Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

In the final of the European qualifying play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, Italy lost 1-4 to Bosnia and Herzegovina after a penalty shootout, failing to qualify for the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time.

Donnarumma, 27, said, "This period has been really tough, and I can hardly explain it in words. It has been a long and difficult summer, but we must start afresh. We are full of desire, and this is a brand new era. We are about to have an important game. The fans are just as disappointed as we are, so now it is our turn to reignite their passion and make them fall in love with the Italian national team jersey again."

“I was impressed by all the players; they were all outstanding. I was particularly impressed by Alessandro Romano, and many of these young players have great talent. I believe they will be the future of the Italian national team. We, the senior players, must help them integrate into the team and help them through this difficult period.”

When asked if the teammates had discussed their setbacks at the World Cup after reuniting, Donnarumma said, "To be honest, we hardly discussed anything except for a brief one-minute chat. Because, frankly, the pain is still too deep, and we don't want to reopen old wounds."

"The most important thing now is to look forward and build a strong Italian national team, and coach Mancini will help us a lot in this regard."

It's worth mentioning that this is Mancini's second time coaching the Italian national team. Donnarumma previously won the 2020 European Championship under Mancini's leadership.

Donnarumma stated, "We certainly believe in Mancini's football philosophy, and we want to demonstrate positive and aggressive football, as well as control the game."

“We will face a strong opponent in the UEFA Nations League, and we hope to control the game. We have learned from our experience in the European Championship and hope to make the fans fall in love with the Azzurri again.”

Image source: Internet