Gianluigi Donnarumma has beaten Edouard Mendy to the 2021 Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper in European football. Donnarumma has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in recent years, having initially made his debut for Milan as a 16-year-old back in 2015.
The Italian international left San Siro before joining Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, but only after helping the Rossoneri get back into the Champions League and playing a key role in his country’s run to Euro 2020 glory.
Donnarumma has become only the second man to win the Yashin Trophy after Liverpool’s Alisson, with the Brazilian having scooped the inaugural prize in 2019 before the ceremony was cancelled the following year.
The 22-year-old, who also made the final shortlist for the Ballon d’Or, earned the majority vote after recording 15 clean sheets in 48 outings across all competitions for Milan as they finished second in Serie A last term and reached the latter stages of the Europa League.
His exploits with Italy held the most weight, though, as he played in all seven of their matches at the European Championships including the final – during which he saved two penalties as Roberto Mancini’s side beat England in a dramatic shootout.
Chelsea No.1 Mendy narrowly lost out to Donnarummma in the final vote, despite an outstanding debut season in English football.
The Senegalese stopper kept 16 clean sheets in his 31 Premier League outings for the Blues and another nine in the Champions League as Thomas Tuchel’s men won the trophy back in May.
The Premier League was also represented in the top ten by Manchester City net-minder Ederson, Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel and Aston Villa star Emiliano Martinez, with Bayern Munich keeper Manuel Neuer, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, PSG’s Keylor Navas, Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Inter stopper Samir Handanovic completing the list.
Source: Fantastic-1
