“The pain is still too great” is how Gianluigi Donnarumma described Italy's mood as they return to Rome. He said there had been “zero discussion” between the squad about the World Cup collapse, apart from a brief conversation on the day, and added that Italy need to look forward while Roberto Mancini helps them build again. Mancini returned after his controversial departure in 2023.

Mancini's return and the mood in the camp

Donnarumma's main point is simple: the group is not ready to go back over the failure in public or in detail. He said the pain is still too great to reopen the wound, which is a fair reflection of how raw this still feels inside the camp.

The reunion with Mancini gives that reset a familiar face. Donnarumma said he and the squad have a bond of “great affection” with him because of what they experienced together and what they won. In his view, that matters because Italy are not trying to start from nothing, they are trying to restart with a coach they already know.

The scale of the rebuild

The backdrop is stark. Italy have missed three World Cups in a row, despite four World Cup titles in their history. The past few years have also been bleak for the pipeline behind the senior team.

Sky Sports reported that Italy gave just 1.9 per cent of Serie A minutes to eligible under-21 players in 2025. The country produced only 413 football exports between 2020 and 2025, and between June 2025 and February 2026 only one capped Italy player was under 24, Inter striker Pio Esposito.

That is why Donnarumma's comments about the youngsters carry weight. He said he has been impressed with the younger players, singled out Alessandro Romano, and said the old guard must help them through difficult moments. He also backed Mancini's approach, saying Italy want to be proactive, positive and aggressive, and want fans to fall in love with the Azzurri again.

Donnarumma is speaking from a stable club base at Manchester City, where he has a 7.22 Premier League season average from five appearances. Italy's immediate task is to turn the mood around before Friday's Nations League clash with Belgium, but the bigger job is still the same one Donnarumma described: stop the silence, move on, and begin building a side that can avoid a fourth straight miss.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →