Donnarumma, the latest young player to be pressured into a decision

Posted Wednesday, July 05, 2017 by Marca.com

While supporters and directors may think that the main motivation for a young player in the modern game is to earn the most money or to join the most competitive club, there is another factor which is often overlooked.

It is becoming increasingly more common for players under the age of 20 to be pressured into taking decisions by other influencers, whether their own family, a club or society in general.

Gianluigi Donnarumma is just the latest example of this, but he is not the only one and other Real Madrid targets like Dani Ceballos, Kylian Mbappe and Theo Hernandez are, or were, being pressured to pick one option over another.

Donnarumma, the most recent example

Donnarumma, the latest young player to be pressured into a decision

Over the last few weeks, the 18-year-old goalkeeper has been under intense scrutiny for his decision to turn down a contract renewal with AC Milan.

From the throwing of fake dollar bills in his direction at the Under-21s European Championship to the public declarations of the club and his agent Mino Raiola, the Italian has been influenced from all sides and ultimately has decided to sign a new deal.

Ceballos, pressured by his past

Donnarumma, the latest young player to be pressured into a decision

For the Real Betis midfielder, he could end up making a major decision based on his younger self. That's because tweets from his teenage years have been discovered in which he spoke negatively of Barcelona and these tweets could now prevent him from joining a club where many members of the fanbase will be sceptical.

Mbappe and the persuasion of his family

Donnarumma, the latest young player to be pressured into a decision

The Monaco forward has been quite clear that he wants to play for Real Madrid, yet his family and those around him, specifically his father, would rather see him at Paris Saint-Germain.