Arteta: Donnarumma made ‘the difference’ between Arsenal and PSG | OneFootball

An upset Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal were better than PSG in the Champions League semifinals, but Gigio Donnarumma ‘made the difference’ in favour of the Ligue 1 giants.

PSG have qualified for the Champions League Final, where they will meet Serie A giants Inter.

Italy captain Donnarumma produced some crucial saves across the two legs against the Gunners, and an upset Arteta said Gigio was the only difference between the two sides.

“We were much better than them. When you look at the two games, who was their best player on the pitch? It was the goalkeeper,” the Spaniard told CBS Sports.

LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 05: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on November 05, 2024 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

“He made a difference for them in the tie. We were close, much closer than our results showed.”

Donnarumma will play in the Champions League Final for the first time in his career.

He joined the Ligue 1 giants on a free transfer from Milan in 2021, shortly after winning EURO 2020 with the Italy national team as the best player in the competition.

Donnarumma, 26, has kept 11 clean sheets in 38 matches with PSG this season, conceding 38 goals.

His contract at the Parc des Princes expires in June 2026, but he’s been in talks to extend his deal with the French giants for several months.

What Donnarumma said after PSG 2-1 Arsenal

“I enjoyed this evening, the atmosphere was stratospheric. [Against Inter] I will see old friends and my old goalkeeper coach Spinelli, with whom I still talk every day.”

Inter keeper Yann Sommer also played a crucial role in Inter’s qualification for the Champions League Final. “He was very good yesterday [Tuesday],” admitted Donnarumma.

“He made more saves than me. He had a fantastic game, it was a great match.”

Talking about Kylian Mbappé’s summer exit, Donnarumma added: “The spirit has changed, we are much more of a team. We play for each other,” Donnarumma told Prime Video after full-time.

“We miss Kylian, he is one of the best in the world and I wish him all the best because he is a great friend. The team is very united, we’re doing well together. We (Italy) won a European Championship like this, it makes all the difference in every team.”