Gianluigi Donnarumma don officially collect Manchester City shirt wey no be the No.99 wey fans expect. Instead, di 26-year-old goalkeeper go dey rock No.25 shirt after e deadline-day waka from Paris Saint-Germain enter Etihad Stadium.
City confirm say dem pay around £26m for am and give am five-year contract wey go keep am till 2030.
Plenty gist bin dey say Donnarumma go continue with No.99 — di same number wey e start with for AC Milan when e burst out as 16-year-old wonderkid. But City don break suspense with official announcement.
Why E No Collect No.99 Again?
For PSG, Donnarumma don wear No.50, No.99 and even No.1 before. Na after Ligue 1 scrap di rule wey bin dey limit shirt numbers between 1 and 30, dem allow am carry back No.99.
Last season, na No.1 e wear as Keylor Navas comot, and e even help PSG win Champions League plus domestic treble under Luis Enrique.
But for England, e free to choose any number from 1 to 99. Instead of go back to hin old No.99, Donnarumma pick No.25 wey carry personal meaning give am.
Why? Because hin birthday na February 25, so e wan make hin new chapter at City start with that connection.
No.25 History for Man City
No.25 shirt no new for City fans at all. Na Manuel Akanji bin dey wear am before e waka go Inter Milan on loan wey fit turn permanent.
Before Akanji, di shirt don dey for legends and big names like Joe Hart (di England goalkeeper wey hold am between 2006–08 and 2009–2012), Fernandinho, Emmanuel Adebayor and Wayne Bridge. So Donnarumma dey step inside number wey get serious weight for City history.
When Fans Go See Am Debut?
Right now, Donnarumma dey on international duty with Italy, wey e go still wear hin No.1 shirt as usual. E dey expected to add to hin 74 caps for upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Israel. After di break, e go join hin new Man City teammates next week.
If all go well, di first time fans fit see am rock hin new No.25 na September 14 for Premier League, inside Manchester derby against Man United for Etihad. E sure say eyes go plenty on am as e begin im new journey for England football.
Widely regarded as one of di best goalkeepers for world football, Donnarumma presence na big boost for Pep Guardiola squad wey dey target Champions League glory plus Premier League defence again this season.