A 14-year-old ball boy, Afan Cizmic, has emerged as an unlikely hero in Bosnia and Herzegovina after stealing Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's penalty shootout notes during a crucial World Cup qualifying final.
Cizmic was working the sidelines at Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica during the UEFA playoff final on March 31. The match saw Bosnia and Herzegovina secure a dramatic penalty shootout victory over four-time champions Italy to book a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
During the high-stakes moments before the spot kicks, Cizmic noticed Donnarumma reading from a piece of paper tucked behind a towel. Recognizing the paper contained vital information on Bosnian penalty takers, the teenager grabbed the note and ran away from the goal.
A tactical theft
The theft coincided with a disastrous performance for the Italian side. Donnarumma failed to save any of the four penalties he faced, and his teammates missed three of their own, allowing Bosnia to advance to the global showpiece.
Cizmic admitted to feeling a moment of hesitation before acting on his instinct. "I saw where he left the paper and that he was reading from it. I thought about whether I should take it or not. Then I said, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’ and I took it," Cizmic told the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
While the Italian goalkeeper did not see the boy flee, the loss of the notes left Donnarumma visibly frustrated. The keeper even attempted to snatch notes from the Bosnian goalkeeper in a retaliatory move during the shootout.
Cizmic believes his actions directly impacted the Italian goalkeeper's performance. "I was happy because I saw he got angry and lost concentration," the boy said.
While some social media users criticized the move, Cizmic defended his actions as a display of national loyalty. He noted that any supporter would have done the same for the Bosnian side.
"If we were playing in Italy, someone would have done it to our goalkeeper, Nikola Vasilj, too," Cizmic said.
Cizmic, a youth player for local club Celik Zenica, plans to auction the stolen note, which is now kept in a plastic cover, to raise money for charity. His father, Emir Cizmic, expressed pride in his son's decisiveness, noting that ball boys can influence the rhythm of a match.
