Donnarumma: ‘Italy had wrong attitude, frustrating’ for Spalletti

REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – JUNE 9: Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy during the FIFA 2026 Qualifier between Italy and Moldova at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on June 09, 2025 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Gianluigi Donnarumma admits Italy ‘had the wrong attitude and it’s something you simply must never do’ at this level during a ‘frustrating’ spell under Luciano Spalletti.

The Azzurri knew their situation was very unusual going into the game, as Spalletti had already announced his dismissal by the FIGC in the wake of their humiliating 3-0 defeat to Norway on Friday.

“These have not been easy days for us. The truth is that the coach deserved to end on a high with a great victory,” Donnarumma told RAI Sport.

“We could’ve done better and it is an enormous disappointment that he is no longer our coach. We had the wrong attitude in the last few games, and that is something you simply must never do in the Italy shirt.”

Donnarumma wanted more from Italy

It created a strange atmosphere at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia, and did not help the lack of confidence, as they thanked VAR for disallowing an early Moldova goal, then scraped a 2-0 victory with Giacomo Raspadori and Andrea Cambiaso.

“It has not been easy, we created a bond with the coach and his team that goes beyond football,” continued Donnarumma.

“They were tough moments for him too. He gave us his all this time too, proof once again that he is a great person.”

It was not just the performances in these qualifiers that cost Spalletti, but also the dismal EURO 2024 showing.

“I don’t know what went wrong, there were some highs after the Euros, but we never managed to find a balance, and that is what is most frustrating.

“We players also have to take on our share of the responsibility for what happened.”

This result gets Italy off the board with three points from two games played, but Norway are dominating Group I with a full 12 points from four matches, beating Estonia 1-0 this evening.

“I don’t know who will come after this, the President will decide. The new coach can also decide on whether I will continue to be the Italy captain, I know that whatever happens, I will always give my best when wearing the Nazionale jersey,” concluded Donnarumma.