Malen: “Gasperini understands and supports me.”

Malen: “Gasperini understands and supports me.” Donyell Malen spoke on the eve of Roma vs. Real Madrid, first at a press conference and then to Sky Sport . The Dutch striker opened his remarks to the TV channel by outlining his expectations for the super European match: “They have so much quality, great players. It will be a great night.” The number 14 then focused on his goalscoring ability: “I don’t think anything has changed. My teammates are creating so many chances for me to score, and I’m very happy with this moment.” The 1999-born player described Gian Piero Gasperini as “his Special One,” in contrast to José Mourinho: “He’s a special coach. He gives me so much confidence and support, I’m very happy to have him. He’s truly special.” Malen focused on his long-distance comparison with Kylian Mbappé: “He’s an excellent striker, everyone knows what he can do on the pitch, what he’s already done so far.” Then the Dutchman returned to the match against Como: “I’m disappointed. It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, it’s not my style. The referee could have made two decisions, and unfortunately he made the worst one for me. Fortunately, my teammates played very well, and we managed to take a point.” The focus is now on the European competition, and the blemish of ‘Bobby”s sending-off has been put behind him: “Now I’m looking ahead.”