AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma Could Become the First Goalkeeping Galactico

Diego Lopez joined Real Madrid at the age of 19 and worked his way through the Spanish giants’ “C” and “B” teams. He would eventually establish himself as the club’s No. 1 under the auspices of Jose Mourinho in 2013. But he was destined not to stay.

In the summer of 2014, the Spaniard joined AC Milan. And, on his competitive debut for the Italian side, he showed exceptional agility to dive to his right and thwart a stoppage-time penalty, ensuring a 3-1 victory over Lazio. However, within two years, he would be replaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Clearly, Lopez was talented. But that alone had not been enough for him to retain his place at Real Madrid, a club whose recent history has been built on the philosophy of “Zidanes and Pavones.” This term referenced Zinedine Zidane, Francisco Pavon and a transfer policy that led to adoration and ignominy in equal measure.

Following Florentino Perez’s election as club president in 2000, Los Blancos set about signing one superstar per season. These were the “Zidanes,” and they included Luis Figo, David Beckham, Ronaldo and, of course, Zidane himself. These big-name, big-money acquisitions would form a squad along with the “Pavones,” who were made up of relative unknowns and youth-team graduates.

This transfer policy has morphed since, and the Zidanes have come to be known simply as the Galacticos, but the essence of it remains the same. Unfortunately for Lopez, he fell into the “Pavones” category—hence his expendability and transfer to Milan.

Indeed, goalkeepers don’t usually fit into the Galactico category for numerous reasons that go beyond the simple matter of capability on the pitch. But the Rossoneri might just have the player to buck this trend.

Lopez is no longer with Milan. This is entirely down to the astoundingly quick progress of a 17-year-old sensation: Donnarumma.

The teenager broke into the first team last season and has kept his place in the lineup since, forcing his Spanish predecessor to go out on loan to Espanyol in search of regular game time. He has produced a litany of incredible saves, substantially boosted his club’s points tally and suggested that the future of Italian goalkeeping is very bright in the process.

And, should he continue to develop, Donnarumma may one day become the first goalkeeping Galactico.

Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and what it takes to be a Galactico

Perez became Real Madrid president for a second time in 2009 and reinstated his favoured transfer policy. A look at two of the club’s key signatures that year offer an insight into what is required to be known as a Galactico.

Kaka joined that summer, leaving Milan behind after the two clubs agreed on a £56 million transfer fee. The Brazilian had by that point established himself as one of …

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