Video: "The moment that made history"... Donnarumma loses his composure and a Bosnian lad secures his country a World Cup spot

On an unforgettable night of football in Zenica, with millions on the edge of their seats during the 2026 World Cup play-off, a 14-year-old Bosnian boy stole the limelight from the stars on the pitch after playing an unexpected role in his country’s historic qualification at Italy’s expense.

He is Avan Cizmic, the ball boy who became a national hero overnight after stealing Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s ‘cheat sheet’ during the penalty shoot-out.

From ball boy to national icon

While Bosnia celebrated its dramatic World Cup qualification following a penalty shootout victory over the four-time world champions, the story of Avan Cizmic was making headlines.

The youngster, who plays for local club Nik Čelić, was not in manager Sergej Barbarez’s squad, but he was present at the electric Bilino Polje stadium as a ball boy, before finding himself at the heart of the action.

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Stealing the ball

Amid the tension leading up to the penalty shoot-out, an altercation broke out between Donnarumma and Bosnia’s goalkeeper Nikola Vasili.

Vasili, a St Pauli player, said on Sunday: “Donnarumma tried to tear up the piece of paper on which I had jotted down information about the Italian penalty kicks. Fortunately, we had prepared for every eventuality and had brought a photocopy.”

But amid the chaos, Avan spotted a small piece of paper next to Donnarumma’s towel – it was the cheat sheet containing details of the Bosnian players’ shots.

When asked by the Bosnian channel Face TV, the young ball boy said: “I saw the piece of paper and immediately realised what it was. I grabbed it and hid it.”

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He added, “It contained all the information about our players. Without that sheet, Donnarumma could only rely on his instincts.”

Avan Cizmic continued, speaking of the Italian goalkeeper: “He was very frustrated and angry. He took his towel and noticed the sheet was missing. He looked for it but couldn’t find it.”

What happened next became part of history: Donnarumma failed to save a single penalty, and Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a place at the World Cup for the first time in their history.

Since that night, social media has been flooded with messages praising the youngster.

A prize for a good cause

Avan Cizmic returned home on Tuesday evening carrying his precious “booty”, the cheat sheet that changed the course of the match.

According to what he revealed to local media, the young man intends to put the note up for auction and donate the proceeds to charity.

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