Since the international retirement of Gianluigi Buffon, Gianluigi Donnarumma has been the unquestioned starter for the Italian national team — and for good reason. Donnarumma, who debuted for the Azzurri when he was 17, was one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A despite his age. He locked down the starting role for AC Milan when he was 16 and played 251 games for the Italian giants before leaving for French side PSG.
For most people, though, Donnarumma is remembered for his strong performances in the 2020 European Championship. In the end, Italy won the tournament on penalties, with Donnarumma stopping the penalties of Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.
Since then, however, Donnarumma’s form has taken a turn for the worse. He has struggled to impress since moving to Paris, with PSG originally rotating him with Costa Rican veteran Keylor Navas. Additionally, his passing ability has come under scrutiny, with Donnarumma making some major blunders with the ball at his feet — notably losing the ball to forward Karim Benzema, leading to Real Madrid’s comeback win in the Champions League Round of 16 in 2022.
Italy’s poor recent performances and failure to reach the World Cup for a second consecutive time has many wanting an overhaul of the squad. Here are five candidates for the number one spot, and where Donnarumma ranks among them.
6. Marco Carnesecchi, 23, Atalanta
Some day, Carnesecchi will be in goal for Italy. Back in March, he was even on the bench for the Azzurri in a European Qualifiers game against Malta. However, it’s a bit early for him to be an international starter right now.
Carnesecchi has spent the previous three seasons on loan with Cremonese, helping the club return to the top flight for the first time in 26 years. While they ultimately were relegated last year, Carnesecchi still had some impressive performances and showed his quality. Notably, he made 107 saves, with only five Serie A goalkeepers bettering that.
This season, Atalanta has decided to keep Carnesecchi, who has remained as the backup to Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso. Carnesecchi should get an opportunity soon, but, until he starts regularly, it’s hard to see him challenging Donnarumma.
5. Michele di Gregorio, 26, Monza
A potential sleeper pick. While Michele di Gregorio has never received a senior call-up for Italy — playing for them at u17 level in 2014 — the Monza man has done a good job of surprising people throughout his career.
After multiple loans to Italy’s third tier, the Serie C, di Gregorio got his chance in the second tier with Pordenone Calcio in 2019. Remarkably, the Inter Milan loanee led the club all the way to the promotion playoffs, where they lost to Frosinone. This earned the attention of Silvio Berlusconi’s AC Monza, who brought him in on a two-year loan.
After helping Monza reach the Serie A for the first time ever, the move was made permanent last summer. Monza didn’t regret it — di Gregorio starred, making the second-most saves in the league (117) and keeping ten clean sheets as Monza easily avoided relegation. If he keeps it up this season, he could be seen as a potential starter for the Azzurri.
4. Alex Meret, 26, Napoli
Meret has long been a candidate for the Azzurri, having made his national team debut in 2019. In total, he’s made three appearances for the national team, most recently in 2022.
Meret is a Serie A veteran, having played in the league since 2017. In 2018, he left Udinese for Napoli, quickly gaining a reputation as a promising but error-prone goalkeeper, and, as a result, failed to wrestle the starting role from Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina. However, last summer Ospina was sold to Al Nassr, and Meret was handed the keys.
Last season, Napoli won the Serie A title for the first time since 1990 — and Meret played a big role. Napoli had the best defense in the Serie A, and Meret had the third-best save percentage (74.7%) and the second-most clean sheets (16). He is also increasingly confident with the ball at his feet — overall, Meret is very similar to Donnarumma, but Donnarumma is just a little better.
3. Gianluigi Donnarumma, 24, PSG
Donnarumma should be remembered for his contributions to the Azzurri, mainly for his heroics in the 2020 Euros. However, since the tournament, his performances just haven’t been the same. His mediocre performances are partially to blame for Italy’s overall struggles, and the Azzurri could miss out on their second consecutive major tournament.
Donnarumma has also lost support since leaving AC Milan, with fans feeling betrayed by his decision to leave the club for free after holding out for more money. Every time he plays in Milan, he is booed by the fans, which has resulted in division between the Italian fanbase.
For now, Donnarumma is still the starter for both Italy and PSG. However, this season will be massive for Donnarumma — PSG has reportedly started to look at other goalkeepers, and Italy is considering changes too. If he starts to struggle, he won’t be a starter for much longer.
2. Ivan Provedel, 29, Lazio
An Italian journeyman, Provedel earned his first Italy call-up last September after impressing with Lazio. However, he has yet to make his first appearance and was absent from the Azzurri squad in their most recent matches against North Macedonia and Ukraine.
For years, Provedel bounced between the top two tiers, failing to impress much. However, in 2020, he earned a move to Serie A side Spezia Calcio, and put in some strong performances over the next two years. In 2022, he signed for Lazio as a backup, but, just six minutes into the season, Portuguese goalkeeper Luís Maximiano was red-carded. Provedel took his opportunity, starting every match for the remainder of the season.
Provedel helped Lazio finish second in the Serie A last season, and, for his troubles, he won the Serie A Best Goalkeeper award ahead of the likes of Mike Maignan and Andre Onana. He is definitely deserving of a chance for the national team.
1. Guglielmo Vicario, 26, Tottenham
Vicario is finally getting the appreciation he deserves after two quality seasons with Empoli, earning multiple call-ups for the Italian national team. He still has yet to make his first appearance, but that could soon change.
Last season I said Bournemouth should make an effort to sign Vicario, but, in the end, they signed Barcelona goalkeeper Neto. Vicario stayed at Empoli and thrived again, recording the fourth-best save percentage in the league (73.9%) and the eighth-most saves (95). This summer, he earned a move to Tottenham as a replacement for Hugo Lloris, and he has impressed so far.
Vicario is everything you want in a modern goalkeeper — confident, strong shot-stopper, and good with the ball at his feet. No one is more deserving of an Azzurri cap than he is.
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Image Courtesy of Biser Todorov, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.