This week, Gianluigi Donnarumma announced that he would not renew his contract with AC Milan. Many fans saw this as a case of an 18-year-old being greedy and not being grateful for what the club had given him.
He won’t play in a Milan shirt again for a few months — or perhaps ever — but he’s still hearing it from fans while on international duty. While playing for Italy Under-21s in Poland, some local AC Milan supporters threw fake money at him.
money thrown at Dollarumma pic.twitter.com/oKe9giqOLi
— Amro (@ThatBoyAmro) June 18, 2017
They also hung a banner behind his goal reading “Dollarumma.”
El Milan Club Polonia se manifestó contra Donnarumma en Italia-Dinamarca sub21. Cartel con #Dollarumma y billetes falsos arrojados al arco. pic.twitter.com/lkiBExrVVq
— AC Milan Info (@acmilaninfo) June 18, 2017
There’s a lot wrong here. Donnarumma is not demanding to leave Milan, but simply informing them that he’ll be leaving when his contract expires. And the idea that he’s being greedy implies that his primary motivation is money, when it could simply be to play for a club that is more successful than Milan. The Rossoneri have not finished in the top five of Serie A in four consecutive seasons, and Donnarumma’s performances have been the primary reason that Milan has remained semi-competitive.
This is lame. It’s ridiculous to demand that players show loyalty to clubs and turn down better professional opportunities. Especially incompetent clubs like AC Milan.