MN: Maignan needed just one game to set a record – his Milan debut was splendid

By Isak Möller -

Mike Maignan made his official debut for AC Milan last night and it’s safe to say that it was a success. Replacing Gigio Donnarumma was never going to be easy, but the former Lille man did it with flying colours. 

The French goalkeeper was praised by the newspapers this morning, receiving 7/10 from both Gazzetta Dello Sport and Tuttosport. In our ratings, he was given that MOTM award with a rating of 7.5/10, the highest of anyone in the team.

As highlighted by MilanNews, Maignan needed just one game to set a record: he’s the first Milan goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his debut since Zeljko Kalac in 2006. 15 years ago, in other words, which is impressive.

Obviously, the defenders deserve some praise too but Maignan did make several great stops last night. He also impressed when in possession, as he often found his teammates with either short or long balls.

READ MORE: Getafe could launch new attempt for Milan outcast Castillejo after €18m sale

Tags AC Milan Mike Maignan Sampdoria

16 Comments

  1. Im not sure Donnarumma is the best goal keeper in the world. I know, we’ve only seen Maignan in one real game and don’t get me wrong I would have loved to keep Donnarumma. I agree with Zlatan, Gigio could have been Mister Milan for years to come. But going to PSG in order to develop (in a lesser league) will not do him much good. I actually think that Maignan will become huge. Well done Maldini/Massara!!

    1. I agree, however what I loved about Gigio was his leadership. I do believe we have enough leaders to replace him. We have a very young squad with mature players(not sure if that makes sense)

  2. It was a pleasure to watch him last night.
    He looks so calm and has that secure look in his face like everything is under control when his on the ball.
    He made great saves. Great passes. Good in the air holding the ball. Fast at coming out of the goal to get those deep passes.

  3. I think he is a far better distributor of the ball than Donnaruma who might the superior shot stopper. Having said that, he is not a bad goalkeeper either. With a good defense, he is more than capable of serving Milan. Our defense is also vaslty improved from the darker days ( 21,

  4. Good riddance Dollar you sell out . Kiss the Paris badge and show your fake love , just like the Turkish Donkey Cagahaglou

  5. I think gigio has already established himself as the best goalie in the world, especially with the euros. He has nobody to convince. However if you consider what we paid for Mike and how much we saved in salary by losing gigio….. Mike is in the process of becoming an elite.. huge Maldini and masara….

  6. Impressive keeper. Great work made by Maldini to bring him to SanSiro. Had cleansheets in friendlies against RM and Valencia. Madrid players challenged him really hard even playing a friendly clash. Donnarumma was good but I never liked him being slow after catching. He was like he catches a ball, looks around and screams smth then disappointedly shakes his head and looks down. He literally did it every time he caught the ball lol.

  7. Better than Dollaruma for sure. It amazing that we got him at a total cost (transfer fees and wages) less than 30% of Dollaruma wages demand.

  8. In my humble opinion we can’t keep comparing Maignan to Gigio. I don’t think Mike needs to be “better” or “as good” as anyone. He needs to be good in his own right. We’ve had lots of great keepers in our past who were not “best in the world”, or even top 10. We’ve won trophies and titles with them. SuperSeba Rossi and Abbiati come to mind. It would have been nice had Gigio become a lifer, but that’s just not a thing anymore. Not even for Messi. Bottom line is that we now have what is looking like a great GK in Maignan. And at what a price! Kudos Maldini & Co.

    1. It is natural to make season to season evaluations on improvements or weaknesses.

      Take Inter Milan for Instance, financials reasons have weakened Inter. Dzeko will not do better than Lukaku and Dumfries will not surpass Hakimi for now.

      In the case of Milan, we are now stronger in the Goalkeeping department at a lower cost. The only snag is that Milan did not earn transfer fees on Donnaruma.

      Ultimately, it is a great movement for Milan.

Comments are closed

Serie A Standings

Live football scores . Current table, fixtures & results.