Rome (AFP)

"Upright, black and proud", Mike Maignan has already seduced Milan and Italian football, with his stops worthy of making forget the great starter of the summer Gianluigi Donnarumma as by his offensive call to act more against racism.

"What are we doing to combat racism in the stadiums?" Said the substitute goalkeeper for the France team last week.

"In the instances, do the people who decide know what it feels like to hear insults and cries relegating us to the rank of animals?"

Insulted by a Turin supporter before the shock against Juventus (1-1) on September 19, Maignan refused to kick in touch and take on the role of a "victim of racism".

The native of Cayenne (Guyana) called for "global action", otherwise "history will repeat itself, again and again and again".

He received the support of his club which released a video against all forms of discrimination.

"Upright, black and proud", as he proclaimed in his very shared message, Maignan remained intractable in the face of verbal aggression - the author of which has been identified and will be prosecuted - as the guard is on his line since the start of the season.

"Magic Mike", his nickname in Italy, has largely contributed to the good debut in the championship of the Rossoneri, still undefeated and second behind Napoli.

- "Donnarumma who?"

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And if he gave in three times to Liverpool (2-3) in the first match of the Champions League, he also attracted that evening the praise for having stopped a penalty from Mohamed Salah and allowed Milan to avoid falling into a complicated start to the match.

"He has the qualities to make further progress - coach and managers alike are convinced of this - and enough personality to start behaving as a leader, even if he has just arrived," said Gazetta dello sport.

The sports daily had designated the former Lille as the best Rossonero at Anfield, recalling that during that time his predecessor in Milan, on the bench in Bruges with Paris SG, had still not played a League match. champions.

Mike Maignan, new recruit of AC Milan, intervenes in front of Adrien Rabiot during the draw (1-1) against Juventus in Turin, September 19, 2021 Isabella BONOTTO AFP / Archives

"Donnarumma who?" Asked the Repubblica, no less treacherous, after the performance of Maignan.

"We all know what + Gigio + has brought to this team. But we can say that today we have a great goalkeeper again, that's for sure," Rossonero coach Stefano Pioli said last week.

“Mike pleases me enormously, especially in the way he works on a daily basis. He is always attentive, incisive. And yet, he changed his working method by coming to Milan. His great merit is being very curious, he s 'informs about everything,' he described.

- "Impression of tranquility" -

At 26, the goalkeeper trained at PSG, crowned champion of France in May with Lille, is in any case already comfortable in the Milan defense led by the experienced (and also ex-Lille) Simon Kjaer, 32 years.

Despite his rather reserved character, he already seems well on his way to becoming a cadre of the Rouge et Noir, as he had become last season at Losc, where he was among those who regularly spoke in the locker room.

Mike Maignan with AC Milan against Lazio at the San Siro stadium, September 12, 2021 Isabella BONOTTO AFP / Archives

"Last year, Maignan played an incredible championship. But I thought that by coming to Italy, he might experience some hesitation because the championship is a little different," Walter Zenga said on Sky recently.

"In fact, he seems to be there forever, he gives an impression of tranquility," added the ex-Italian international goalkeeper.

Maignan also brought the precision of his distant revival at the foot, a weapon that Donnarumma did not necessarily have, whose kicking game is less sharp.

So many assets that Milan will need Tuesday night (9:00 pm) against Antoine Griezmann's Atlético Madrid, Maigan's partner with the Blues but who will have for the first time "Magic Mike" as an opponent.

© 2021 AFP