Ahead of the first leg of the Champions League tie against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma spoke to the media about the challenge his team will face and the qualities that make Madrid so dangerous in European competition.
Despite Real Madrid experiencing some ups and downs during the season, Donnarumma dismissed any suggestion that the Spanish side might lack motivation heading into the tie.
“I don’t think that Real Madrid is not hungry. To play for Real Madrid is not for everyone.
They deserve to be here, to wear this shirt. I don’t think they’re not hungry. There have been ups and downs but we know that the Champions League is a different competition and we are ready because we know that we are going to play against a young team but with great players and the Real Madrid players want to take their team to the final.
We know it is a tough game and that we have to be very prepared and we have done so because we have a great coach who helps us a lot in this sense, but we need to be able to control our feelings because to play in this stadium is not easy.
We need to be able to manage emotions and we will find a young Real Madrid that will be hungry to get a result for the second leg.”
The Italian goalkeeper also addressed the absence of Kylian Mbappé and what it means for the matchup. Having previously played alongside the French superstar, Donnarumma praised Mbappé’s qualities while acknowledging that any replacements would still pose a serious threat.
“I have been lucky enough to play with Mbappe and he is one of the most amazing players in the world, he is a great talent.
As a goalkeeper not facing these kind of players can be an advantage! I have less work to do I would say, but the players that will replace him are champions. We will have to pay the same attention.
Kylian, I am a great friend of his and I hope he can be ready for the second leg because he deserves it.”
