Donnarumma named Player of the Tournament

UEFA's team of Technical Observers at UEFA EURO 2020 have named Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as their Player of the Tournament.

Donnarumma, 22 but with 33 caps to his name already, crowned his tournament in style on Sunday, helping the Azzurri to their second title with two penalty saves in the shoot-out triumph over England. He was a mainstay between the posts for Italy throughout their campaign, missing only the closing exchanges of the Matchday 3 defeat of Wales when Roberto Mancini opted to give Salvatore Sirigu a run-out. Donnarumma played 719 minutes at the tournament, more than any other player. Donnarumma and Italy did not concede in the group stage, letting in a goal for the first time in the round of 16 against Austria. That was the first goal they had shipped in more than 1,000 minutes. Donnarumma also made a crucial save in the penalty shoot-out victory against Spain in the semi-finals. Performances throughout the tournament – both individually and as part of the team – are considered when choosing the winner. The player's impact on his team's performances, as well as playing with a positive attitude and with RESPECT, are also taken into account. He has become just the second goalkeeper to win the award after Peter Schmeichel's instrumental role in guiding Denmark to glory in 1992. 

This latest personal accolade follows Donnarumma being named Serie A's Best Goalkeeper as the 22-year-old helped AC Milan back into the Champions League after an eight-season hiatus. However, Donnarumma's contract with his boyhood club expired last month and after making his debut for the Rossoneri at 16 and playing 251 games for them since, he is now swapping home comforts for the French capital as he fights to become PSG's first choice with Keylor Navas. Donnarumma's opposite number Jordan Pickford will be devastated after a shootout in which the Everton man's save from Andrea Belotti put Gareth Southgate's briefly before the disappointments for Marcus Rashford, Sancho and Saka. However, the 27-year-old's impressive efforts this summer have earned him the Golden Glove after he kept five clean sheets, against Croatia, Scotland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Ukraine.  By contrast, Donnarumma enjoyed three shutouts - all in the group stage - against Turkey, Wales and Switzerland.