Once again, the Curva Sud have questioned Donnarumma's loyalty and brought him to tears. Will this be the last time? Will he leave the club because of these criminals who literally ignore the best interests of the club and go to Milanello to harass him... before a game? After the death threats, the banners, and all of the other abuse over the years from the supposed fans of the club of his heart, I couldn't blame him. He is only 22 years old, and this has gone on long enough. But what about those of us who adore him? Does he know how many more fans there are out there who don't have a criminal record and would do anything to see him stay forever? Some of us are crying, too, for the love of Donnarumma.
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| Amidst rumors he would go to Juve, he turned to Juve fans and kissed the crest |
This whole nightmare started with Fassone and Mirabelli, the snake oil salesmen who pretended to run our club for about a year. Mirabelli in particular abused his position to rile fans and media alike against the then 18 year-old keeper, largely due to a personal spat with Raiola. They tried to force a renewal that wasn't even immediately necessary while Donnarumma was playing for the Italy national team. This led the fans from the Milan Club Poland to throw money at him while he was playing for Italy, and some idiot coined him "Dollarumma" claiming he was only in this for money. Did I mention he was just 18 years old?
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| It's like child abuse |
So Fassone and Mirabelli, in their infinite ignorance, bent over for Raiola and burdened us with not only a €6 million per year contract, but also his older brother as a third keeper at €1 million per year. Maldini would have NEVER. Why everyone is abusing Donnarumma, I will never understand. Fassone and Mirabelli have still not gotten a new job in football because they are so terrible. Mirabelli is quick to speak out and stoke the fire of hatred against Donnarumma every week, but there are not nearly enough stupid words aimed back at him.
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| Great for Gigio and Antonio, but not a great deal for Milan |
Speaking of stupid words, during the Triple Handshake duo's hysterical renewal efforts, Donnarumma and his family received death threats. Did I mention that he was 18 years old? This weekend, a lot of people are staging a social media blackout to encourage social media platforms to increase their efforts to police their users. That silence is about the same silence as the support Donnarumma received when he was abused. Wait, no... the fans actually mocked the idea of death threats and insisted they weren't real. Disgusting.
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| He sweats blood for us, they threaten to kill him. What?! |
Later that year, media reports claimed that Raiola sent a letter to Milan asking the to annul his contract due to "moral abuse." This caused the Curva Sud to display a banner ahead of the Milan-Verona match in December that read:
"Psychological violence by giving you €6 million per season and signing your parasite brother? It's time to leave...our patience with you is over!"
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| What kind of fan tells their best player to leave? Because of a rumor? |
If you remember the incident, Gigio was in tears in the dressing room ahead of the match, and Bonucci tried to calm him down. Did I mention that he was 18 years old? Oh yeah, and that I remember, the letter was non-existent, just an idiotic media rumor (who the hell does that?) But that didn't stop the criminals of the Curva Sud from enforcing their entitled beliefs on an 18 year-old, ahead of a match played by the team they claimed to be supporting. What the actual hell?
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| This week was not the first time they brought him to tears |
All of this created a vicious cycle that has repeated itself every time someone in the media says the word "contract" with the word "renewal." The media are every bit to blame in all of this, because they never did their job to investigate any of this, they just wanted clicks. They have obsessively fanned the flames all year long every year since then. Did I mention Donnarumma was only 18 years old when this started? Maldini told everyone earlier this year that this renewal would be done calmly and out of the media. But that didn't stop those carnivorous click whores. They have reminded everyone almost every day about this renewal. Vergogna.
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| Napoli's Ultras are not much better... he gets abuse everywhere |
This is why on Saturday, again ahead of the game of the team they claim to love, members of the Curva Sud went to Milanello and demanded a meeting with Donnarumma. Milan desperately need points to finish top four, but their priority was to go and abuse a 22 year-old. Again. They berated him for having a smile and a laugh with former teammate and friend Pepe Reina at the end of the Lazio match. Because now they are also the emotional police.
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| The Curva didn't mind when he singlehandedly kept us in the Europa League |
They demanded to know if he would renew with Milan, and he told them he really wanted to stay at Milan, but nothing was decided, and he hadn't signed anything. He also reportedly denied any talks with Juventus, but that brought them to their real purpose: they told him that if he did not renew this week, that he could not play against Juventus.
What. The. Actual. Hell.
We are trying to make Champions League, and Juventus are now even with us on points. We need this win, and to do that, we need our best players. Especially Donnarumma. So what goes through their criminal minds when they think that this is a solution? And who the hell do they think they are by trying to play god, emotional police, management, and coach? What is wrong with these people?
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| Fans aren't even in the stadium and he has to watch his back |
So yeah, Donnarumma was in tears. Again. Because of the "fans" who claim to support this club. It is reported that he is still upset, actually. Enter Maldini. Paolo Maldini called the Curva Sud "mercenaries" back in 2005 when they abused the team returning from Istanbul. That was all it took, and the Curva not only abused him multiple times over the last four years of his career, but they also booed and insulted him at his final match at the San Siro. He knows who they are, and he is not afraid of them.
As a result of the confrontation with Donnarumma, Maldini announced that all contract negotiations were frozen until the end of the season. Which is Sporting Director speak for "Leave my players alone." He also reiterated that it was up to the management to worry about the contracts, and that the coach chooses the players for the match. It's nice to have someone in management that has our players' backs for once.
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| Both of them have felt the bite of the rabid Curva Sud |
But the tragedy in all of this is that those of us who have loved Gigio Donnarumma since his debut in 2015 (you know, vs. Real Madrid, when he saved Toni Kroos' penalty?) do not have the same access to him as those thugs. If we did, we would tell him that there are far more of us who love him than those who love their own self-interests. That we want him to be the next bandiera for the club. That our heart stops every time he makes another breathtaking save. That we are grateful for every single time he kept us in a match, and for every single penalty save and clean sheet over the years. That seeing him with the captain's armband and directing the players from goal makes us want to cry tears of joy. We have watched the 16 year-old boy develop into a leader who is wise and talented far beyond his years. And we would do anything to help him stay. Forever.
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| He deserves to have Milan AND Champions League... but not if the Curva keep abusing him |
I understand if he wants Champions League. No one can begrudge him that. I don't even mind so much that we are down to the wire for him to renew, because that is largely in part due to Gazidis' shenanigans, the most recent of which was the Super League delusion. But if he would stay, so many of us would love and worship him. Forever. We are not all self-serving criminals with no moral compass whatsoever. This abuse from the Curva has got to stop. For the love of Donnarumma.
This post inspired by The Cure's "Lovesong"