Gianluigi Donnarumma: 'That's football,' says PSG captain Marquinhos as 'great friend' confirms exit

On the eve of facing Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday evening, Nuno Mendes and Marquinhos faced the press, and the subject of the departing Gianluigi Donnarumma of course came up.

It's looked more and more likely in the past few weeks that goalkeeper Donnarumma will leave the club before the end of the transfer window, and the Italian confirmed that on the eve of the Super Cup after being left out of the squad.

"Unfortunately, someone has decided that I can no longer be part of the group and contribute to the team’s success. I am disappointed and disheartened," he said on social media.

"I hope to have the opportunity to look the fans at the Parc des Princes in the eyes one more time and say goodbye as it should be done. If that doesn’t happen, I want you to know that your support and affection mean the world to me, and I will never forget it. I will always carry with me the memory of all the emotions, the magical nights, and of you, who made me feel at home.

"To my teammates – my second family – thank you for every battle, every laugh, every moment we shared. You will always be my brothers.

"Playing for this club and living in this city has been an immense honour. Thank you, Paris."

Prior to his statement, teammates Nuno Mendes and Marquinhos already seemed resigned to the fact that he was leaving in the Super Cup pre-match press conference.

"It's the coach's choice," said Nuno Mendes. "We train hard and do everything we can to make the squad, but it's up to the coach. I do my job. The team is ready for tomorrow."

PSG captain Marquinhos has been at the club for the entirety of Donnarumma's time there, but while he's sad to be losing his teammate, it's not something he's dwelling on.

"It's always difficult and in my 12-13 years here, I've already seen other teammates go through this kind of situation. Key players have had to leave at the end of the season. That's our life, that's football," said the defender.

"All you can do is give it your all until the last minute. I'm going to leave too, and I hope to do so in the best possible conditions. Players come and go, the club stays.

"Gigio has written the club's history, and I'm very proud of that. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts. If he stays, we'll welcome him with open arms because he's had an extraordinary season. If he has to leave, we'll thank him too, because he's a great friend and a great leader."

Marquinhos also discussed a number of other things in the press conference, from his reflections on last season to new teammates.

On the season ahead: "It's really pleasing to start the season like this, as Champions League winners. Starting with another final, this European Super Cup, is an immense pleasure, and it's the first time I've experienced it as a PSG player. I want to experience moments like this again in the coming seasons.

"We're competitors and we don't have any final objectives in our careers, we always want to win, we want victories and to work even harder. That's what we want as a club.

"There's still a lot to achieve. Winning once is great, winning again can be magnificent. Very few teams have achieved that. That's PSG's objective this season, to maintain this level and fight for all the trophies."

On fatigue: "It's huge, (but) I've had some difficult seasons and coming back after difficult seasons is even harder, I can tell you that. Coming back after winning and playing a string of good matches is a good motivation for me as captain and as one of the most experienced players in the dressing room.

"It was an incredible moment in my life, but the next thing I knew, I was already thinking about going further and making history. That's what we want to do tomorrow. We have the opportunity.

"Last season, we had some difficult moments, particularly the final we lost (in the Club World Cup)."

On his absence from the Ballon d'Or list: "I've already been on the list of 30 without having won the Champions League, and if I had to choose, I'd prefer to have won the Champions League. The greatest moments are collective titles.

On the arrival of Lucas Chevalier: "The captain has an important role when a new player arrives, just as other players were important when I arrived. You have to go up to the new player to talk to him, to integrate him. They need to feel at home so that they can give their best.

"We have a philosophy of play and a very demanding coach, and we know that it can sometimes be difficult to do things that you're not used to. That's where the more experienced players have an important role to play. The most important thing is PSG, the club and the team, and that's how we won.

The mood in the dressing room: "I'm very proud and very happy to be living this moment, to have the opportunity to win this trophy. We've only been working for a week, Tottenham are in better physical condition, but we haven't lost everything in three weeks.

"I've seen the quality of our passing and finishing. We'll have a top-class team who will give their all. We have a coach who won't let us fall into the trap of having won and thinking we've finished our career. He's going to keep pushing us forward, and that starts with winning this title.

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