Italy World Cup winner Zoff on Donnarumma’s howler: ‘Something is wrong’
Italy World Cup winner Dino Zoff comments on Gigio Donnarumma’s howler in Manchester City-Arsenal, arguing that ‘something is wrong’ when ‘a goalkeeper has more touches than a striker.’
Manchester City star and Italy captain Donnarumma has made headlines for the wrong reasons as he gifted Arsenal a goal in a big match in the Premier League title race on Sunday.
Manchester City still managed to secure a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium, also thanks to some vital interventions from the Azzurri star in the second half, but the mistake with the ball at his feet still got people talking.
Italy 1982 World Cup winner Zoff, a former Azzurri coach, spoke about Donnarumma’s mistake in an interview with Affidabile.org.
“Playing with the feet is a bonus, but you shouldn’t overdo it. If a goalkeeper has more touches than a striker, something is wrong,” he said.
“If a goalkeeper plays well with his feet, but doesn’t come out on crosses, that’s not good either. It’s always excess that is the problem. The same applies to VAR. It’s useful for clear incidents, but if it interferes with everything, it becomes negative and slows the game down.”
Zoff: Italy ‘must adapt’
Zoff won the World Cup in 1982 as a player, and in 2000, he led Italy to the European Championship Final as a coach.
Now that the Azzurri have failed to qualify for the World Cup for three consecutive times, what action should be taken to rebuild Italian football?
“First of all, you have to play according to your own strength,” Zoff replied.
“If someone isn’t that strong and tries to play as if they were, they lose. You need to adapt to the historical moment we’re living in. Without immediately aiming for big things, but instead taking smaller steps.”
The new FIGC President will be elected on June 22, 2026, and a new Italy head coach will be hired only after that, with Napoli coach Antonio Conte among the possible contenders.
“Certainly, Cone is one of the candidates, a coach with great experience, like others,” Zoff concluded.
“I didn’t want to rank them: we’re talking about high-level profiles in any case.”
