Donnarumma set to make Nations League history with revenge in mind

The Giuseppe Meazza will host one of international football's classic matches on Thursday as Italy and Germany face off in the quarter-finals of the Nations League. The game will be a historic one for Gianluigi Donnarumma as he will register his 25th appearance, becoming the player with the most appearances ever in the competition.

The former AC Milan goalkeeper was already at the summit, sharing the honours with Viljormur Davidsen (Faroe Island) and Kostakis Artymatas (Cyprus) with 24 appearances. But with the upcoming fixture, he will distance himself from the pair and claim first place in the ranking on his own. Donnarumma is also the player with the most minutes in the competition's history, having accumulated 2.160 as opposed to the Faroese's 2116 and the Cypriot's 2101. But clashes against Germany do not generate fond memories in Donnarumma's mind. 

Counting 70 caps with the Italy national team, Donnarumma will face Germany for the fourth time in his career without having won any of his past meetings. The shot-stopper was in between the sticks for only his second international appearance when he played against Germany in November 2016, substituting Gianluigi Buffon at halftime and ending the game with the scoreline reading 0-0.

His two remaining encounters with Germany both took place in June 2022 during the group stages of the Nations League, with the two sides drawn together in League A. In the first, which ended 1-1, Donnarumma ended up in tears after finishing the match with a sprain on his finger. Nevertheless, he was able to partake in the reverse fixture a few days later, in which the 'Azzurri' were thrashed 5-2, contributed by the goalkeeper's costly errors.

The PSG player was heavily criticised at the time, jeopardising his team's results with several blunders. Not only on the international stage but also at club level, prompting him to defend themselves from the backlash. "When did I make mistakes? Against Real Madrid, from an open play which ended up being blown for a foul? If people want to stir drama over these things they can go ahead. We all made mistakes and if they only want to blame me I'll take it. I'm the captain and I take responsibility. You can learn and grow from mistakes. Now all there is to do is reset and come back stronger," he had said.

The 26-year-old is the third Italian goalkeeper with the most international caps behind Buffon's 175 and Zoff's 112, who both retired after celebrating their 40th birthdays. This means that Donnarumma still has plenty of time to catch up to the pair in front. He is arguably going through his best form after a few difficult seasons at the French capital. His interventions were key in sending Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League quarter-finals against Liverpool earlier this month. 

He is now aiming to make his third appearance in the last four editions of the Nations League semi-finals with Italy. The 'Nazionale' failed to reach it in 2018-19 but made up for it in 2020-21, concluding the competition in third place behind France and Spain, and also in 2022-23, occupying once again the final podium place behind Spain and Croatia. On the other hand, Germany will be looking to seal their ticket to the semis after a discrete run in the tournament so far, counting 3 wins, 9 draws and 4 defeats, and an 11th place in the overall table.