The Azzurri captain spoke at a press conference on the eve of the decisive match against Bosnia: “We feel a sense of responsibility toward our country. We know it won’t be easy, but we’re ready”

Responsibility and reason can be confused, but they must not be confused. In the rusty stadium of Zenica, Italy envisions a golden world where the World Cup is the norm. The Bosnia hurdle must not be underestimated, of course, but neither should it be feared. At the pre-match press conference, which filled the small press room beyond safety limits, Gianluigi Donnarumma urged the national team to stay calm at this critical moment: “We feel a sense of responsibility toward all the fans and, more broadly, toward the country. We know it won’t be easy to leave this stadium with a victory, because Bosnia is a strong team with some outstanding individual players. But at the same time, we’re aware of our own qualities and we’re absolutely determined to achieve our goal. In recent days, I’ve noticed that the team is motivated just right and will be ready for the challenge. We also need a bit of composure: we must focus on the match without overthinking what’s going on around us.”

emotion—  The shock of 2022 lingers, with that killer shot that caught him off guard and knocked Italy out of a potential playoff final. But his past also includes the magical night of another final, the 2021 European Championship final at Wembley. In terms of emotion and tension, this World Cup playoff is, for Donnarumma, “one of the most important matches of my career. I can’t deny that we all feel it deeply, because we haven’t been to the World Cup in 12 years and we don’t intend to prolong the wait. We’re human beings. But I’m confident; Italy has enough experience to handle these nights that shape the future. And I’m still proud of the journey I’ve made with the Azzurri, through both good and not-so-good memories.” Bosnian journalists ask him about the quality of the forwards he’ll face: “We’ve watched several matches. And we know many of the players, starting with Dzeko, who is a magnificent center forward. But Bosnia, in general, is a well-organized national team that knows how to hold its own on the field. To beat them, we’ll have to play to the best of our ability, running at full speed just like they do. Only we know what we felt when we were beaten by Macedonia in Palermo, and we don’t want to feel that way again; on the contrary, we want to bring Italy back to where it belongs.”