Donyell Malen stole the show for AS Roma on Friday evening, netting a hat-trick to propel the Giallorossi to a 3-0 win over Pisa at the Stadio Olimpico. Italian sports media lauded the Dutch forward after the final whistle.
La Gazzetta dello Sport awarded Malen an 8.5, noting, “Malen is in top form; he surpassed all expectations.”
Sky Italia went even further, awarding the striker a 9 and declaring, “Donyell Malen carried Roma on his shoulders. There is little doubt about the MVP of the match, who receives a 9 on his report card thanks to his excellent performance.”
Goal Italy concurs, labelling him “unstoppable” and awarding an 8.5 after his 100% shooting conversion.
Corriere dello Sport awards a 9 and declares, “Malen is simply unique; his hat-trick has social media abuzz with non-stop memes and photos, just like the Brazilian Ronaldo.”
His treble makes him only the fifth Dutchman to net a hat-trick in Serie A, after Faas Wilkes, Wim Kieft, Marco van Basten and Teun Koopmeiners.
Roma signed Malen on loan from Aston Villa last winter, and he has now scored ten goals in twelve Serie A appearances, placing him joint third in the Italian top-scorers list.