Why The Kop Applauded Gianluigi Donnarumma Before Kick-Off as Footage Emerges

A long-standing Anfield tradition meant that Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was applauded by sections of The Kop during Sunday's game against Liverpool.

Donnarumma, who joined City from Paris Saint-Germain last summer in a deal worth £26 million, made a series of superb saves to keep Pep Guardiola's side in the contest.

After a tidy finish from Bernardo Silva levelled the scores, Erling Haaland scored an added-time penalty as the Citizens came from behind to claim a potentially crucial three points in the title race.

Away from the on-field action and one of the talking points on social media happened in the build-up, when footage emerged of Donnarumma receiving a hearty round of applause from the home fans.

As seen in the TikTok footage below, the Italian failed to acknowledge the claps, which resulted in a smattering of boos from those in attendance. So, why do the Kop applaud opposition goalkeepers?

It is said the long-standing tradition of applauding an opposition goalkeeper dates back to the 1960's, when then-England international Gordon Banks was commended for his efforts at the 1966 World Cup.

“I always remember the game after England had won the World Cup in 1966, Liverpool played Everton in the Charity Shield and then the first game here [at Anfield] was in the league against Leicester City,” statistician Dave Ball told This is Anfield.

Ball added: "Gordon Banks was in the Leicester goal, and I think Shankly had sent him out early doors to take the cheers from the Kop and everything. But when he came out to face Liverpool, the Kop went absolutely ballistic. That was the first time I had ever seen the Kop react the way they did."

Since that moment, The Kop End has continued to show its respect and appreciation towards the opposition goalkeeper and, more often than not, the player has responded with a clap of his own.

Aaron Ramsdale brought up the tradition after being asked to name the best away supporters in the country.

Speaking on The Fellas podcast, the former Arsenal goalkeeper said: “Liverpool fans are good. The Kop always clap, they always show respect to the goalie, or they have done for me at least. And then the clap will finish, the game will kick off and you’ve got all of them screaming at you."

He added: “They shout everything under the sun, and then at the end of the game, I don’t know if it will change when they’ve lost as I’ve not won there, but when we’ve drawn or whatever, they still clap at the end."

Before that, then-Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas was taken aback when he received an incredible reaction from Liverpool fans during a game in the Champions League.

“I want to thank Liverpool fans for the affection they showed," Casillas said after the final whistle. "They respect players a lot. I’ve spent a lot of years in this competition and coming to a stadium like this and being applauded like that is superb.”

British journalist John Keith has previously recalled seeing the Kop applaud "goalkeeper after goalkeeper" over the years. “It’s probably a unique characteristic of the crowd," he added.