Gianluigi Donnarumma's gloves

Among the things that will remain in history and in the memories of EURO2020 there are the saves of Gigio Donnarumma, those on the penalties of Sancho and Saka in the final, but also in the semifinal against Spain. In addition to the technical gestures, there is one detail that has not gone unnoticed and that must have played a significant role: the gloves. Compared to boots and shirts, there is little talk of gloves, one of the football items relegated exclusively to the performance context on which there is a huge gap between professional and amateur products. The gloves worn by Donnarumma are a concentration of technology. As the Italian goalkeeper is sponsored by adidas, Gigio wears Predator Pro Hybrids, which feature 288 Demonskin 2.0 'plugs' created by a computer algorithm to create a completely new interface between hand and ball.

The Predator Pro Hybrid gloves are part of the Predator line and were dropped in early 2020 in the shoe pack of the same name. They are made from flexible knit fabric which along with the no-tear closure that fits over the arm make them look like a bioengineered product. On the palm and fingers the material used is a URG 2.0 foam which guarantees grip with the ball even when the surface is wet. But the real feature of the Italian goalkeeper's gloves are the 288 spines distributed on the fingers, back and wrist of the goalkeeper. These are mini plastic scales inspired by the skin of a reptile, hence the name demonskin, the same as those found on the latest generation of Predator boots. According to adidas, the scales - or spines - have been distributed on the glove through a sophisticated algorithm in order to configure the contact with the ball. It's not really clear how the thorns are supposed to help a goalkeeper - while on the boots they profoundly affect contact with the ball - but the aesthetic effect is certainly eye-catching and perhaps even the placebo effect - Space Jam style - can help young goalkeepers follow Gigio Donnarumma's example.