Donnarumma is undoubtedly the best goalkeeper and if the list of the five best goalkeepers in the world is made now, then Donnarumma will definitely make his place in that list. However, the bad news for Italy is that this goalkeeper may not be able to provide good service for much longer because he is already old enough. In the selection of goalkeepers, different clubs or different teams always give more importance to young footballers, in that case, in two to three years, this goalkeeper may not be in the same form as before. I wonder what will happen to the Italian team when most of the players who are currently playing for the Italian national team retire. Italy may continue to play football, but we may not see good performances from them.
What do you mean that Donnarumma is already old enough? He is 26 years old, he was born in 1999, the other teams still play with players like Courtois (1992), Oblak (1993), Neuer (1986), Maignan (1995), Pickford (1994), Alisson (1992), just to mention a few, so I really have no idea how you can say that a 26 years old goalkeeper is old. Buffon played until he was 40+ years old.
I think i agree with you on this 26 is relatively young for a goalkeeper and many top goalkeepers continue to really perform at a high level well into their 30s well from the example you gave earlier such as courtois, oblak, Neue, and others, demonstrate the goalkeeper can maintain their skills and physical abilities for an extended period of time, i think from what i had it reasonable to expect Donnarumma to come continue performance at a high level for several more years.
I really don't understand why you guys think that Italy has a problem with the number of people: between 1982 and 2006 Italy have always been one of the best teams in the world, during those 24 years we won 2 World Cup and we lost the final against Brazil in 1994 and the Italian population was more or less the same. Do we have a demographic decline? Yes, but it doesn't happen overnight. In football, just like in life, there are cycles, for years we had many incredible players and now we don't, hopefully in the future things will change but the solution for sure is not bringing foreign people with the hope that someone will be a great football player, it doesn't make sense.
Yes, the main problem lies in the football ecosystem, which has not been managed well from the start. During Italy's prime, they had a strong foundation, such as academies, state-of-the-art stadiums, and a domestic league that was among the best in the world. However, over time, the Italian football ecosystem has failed to develop. Many stadiums are old and outdated, while many clubs struggle financially and cannot produce talented young players. Furthermore, a problematic federation has not created a positive environment for Italian football. All of these issues have accumulated and directly impacted the performance of Italian clubs at the european level and the Italian national team itself. If only the Italian federation and clubs had done a better job of maintaining the foundations they built during their glory days, perhaps the problems would not be as complex as they are now.
Yes exactly, the system is dilapidated and is struggling to grow, although I have to say that there are clubs with money, but the disparity between those who have it and those who don't is felt and makes everything more difficult. A young person can't grow in Italy, but for any sport, it's difficult.
Particularly i terms of responsible and resources and opportunities, the disparity between a well funded clubs and those with limited resources can create significant barriers for young raw talent athletes. And aslo the Italian sports system is facing broader structural issues that can hinder the development of youngsters athletes.