Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Italian goalkeeper for Manchester City, is still riding the high of the recent Manchester Derby triumph as he sits in the club's training complex. While the controversial last‑minute winner from Erling Haaland has sparked debate, Donnarumma is more focused on the collective effort that secured the win, especially after the team endured the setback of Phil Foden’s harsh red card. "We showed real character," he told Sky Sports, praising his teammates for their resilience and ability to respond to adversity.
"No one can take that away from us." He added that wearing the City shirt is a privilege that comes with a responsibility to give back to a club with a storied history and a passionate fan base. "We will give everything for this shirt, for this club that gives us so much support. It has a great history, and we need to give a lot back to it," Donnanumma said.
City entered the international break with an unbeaten record, a rare feat given the recent departures of long‑time stalwarts Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Rodri, who were integral to Pep Guardiola’s earlier successes. Although the team has not been flawless in every department, Donnarumma acknowledges that there is still much to learn even after a seemingly perfect start to the Enzo Maresca era.
The club, however, does not view this campaign as a rebuilding phase. "I don’t really like the word ‘transition,’" he explained. "The club’s objective is to win.
This team’s objective is to win. We’ll certainly give everything we can to achieve that." He emphasized that the season could end either with trophies or without, but the crucial factor is maintaining a winning mentality and striving for victory in every match. Donnarumma has been placed at the heart of a newly‑formed leadership group that replaces the departed veterans.
Alongside Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Marc Guehi, he forms a quartet of experienced winners who have lifted silverware both at City and elsewhere. Their shared experience is intended to set standards for the younger arrivals such as Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye, who are expected to make an immediate impact in what the club insists is a non‑transition season.
"We’ve changed a few players. A few new ones have arrived," Donnarumma noted. "They’re all top‑class players accustomed to playing on the biggest stages, handling pressure and competing in the Premier League. It isn’t easy at first when you join a new club, a new city, a new organisation, but they’re adapting well and we’re making them feel comfortable.
The players already here are helping them a lot, and I think we’re going to have a great season." The ambition is clear: to contest every major trophy on offer – the Premier League, the Champions League and the two domestic cups. City’s message to rivals is that nothing is off the table.
Yet, according to Donnarumma, the primary obstacle to a double or treble this year is Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s side also began the season with four straight league victories before stumbling against Brighton, and they enjoyed a psychological boost after edging City out for the Premier League title last May. Reflecting on the previous season’s disappointment, Donnarumma recalled the emotional documentary on Guardiola that captured City’s slump at Bournemouth, which ultimately handed the title to the Gunners.
Having won the league in each of the five seasons before that, he described the feeling as "difficult, but that’s football, that’s life. You’re not on your own." He stressed that disappointment is inevitable when you compete at the highest level, but it is mitigated by the presence of other strong teams in both domestic and European competitions.
"It’s not that if you don’t win there isn’t disappointment – of course there is – but it can happen because there are other teams as well, just like in the Champions League," he said. "It’s important to go into every game trying to win it. Certainly, our objective will be to win, but there are other teams too. You have to compete, you have to work, and you have to do everything possible because the history of this club demands it." When asked whether City and Arsenal will again be the two teams battling for the top spot in May, Donnarumma admitted uncertainty.
"I don’t know. We’re only four games into the season," he replied, reminding everyone that the campaign is still in its infancy.
His focus, however, remains on the present: "Our focus right now has to be on working and trying to win every game. That has to be our objective. Whether we achieve it in the end or not, only time will tell." The goalkeeper’s confidence in the squad’s depth, the leadership core, and the newly arrived talent paints an optimistic picture for the rest of the season, suggesting that Manchester City are poised to fight on all fronts and aim for a collection of silverware that matches their illustrious legacy.