Veteran shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon has decided to leave Juventus for the last time but is yet to comment on his retirement from the beautiful game. After 683 appearances for the Bianconeri, the 43-year-old revealed that he would not extend his stay when his contract expires next month.
Arguably one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Buffon’s twenty-year love story with the ‘Old Lady’ – earned him 21 trophies in two separate spells with the club.
Signed from Parma in 2001 for a then world-record fee for a goalkeeper of €52 million, Buffon left Turin and joined Paris Saint Germain on a season-long deal in 2018-19 before heading home the following term.
But during his second stint, the Carrarese goalkeeper found himself as a backup option to Wojciech Szczesny, and after agreeing on two short-term deals, he feels that his future “will come to a definitive end” after the 2020/21 season expires.
“My future is clear and defined. This beautiful and very long experience with Juve will come to a definitive end this year.”
“Either I stop playing, or if I find a situation that motivates me to play or have a different life experience, I will take it into consideration.
“I feel I gave everything for Juve. I have received everything, and more than this cannot be done. We have reached the end of a cycle, and it’s right for one to remove the disturbance.”
Buffon told beIN Sports in a recent interview.
The Italian World Cup winner made his senior debut in November 1995 – keeping a clean sheet against a star-studded AC Milan team boasting the likes of Roberto Baggio and George Weah. Four years later, Buffon won his first European trophy, as Parma beat Marseille 3-0 in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup final, and a series of fantastic displays over the course of the next two years saw him relocate to Turin in July 2001.
Since then, Buffon has been monumental in Juve’s success over the two decades, winning 10 scudetto’s, four Coppa Italias and six Italian Super Cups thus far.
Even after the Bianconeris were relegated to Serie B due to their involvement in the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal in the 2005/06 campaign, Buffon remained loyal to his employers and, along with Pavel Nedved, Alessandro del Piero and other key members, helped them gain promotion immediately.
Representing his country on 176 occasions, Buffon was also instrumental in the Azzurri’s World Cup glory in Germany 2006, thanks to some resolute performances in the knock-out stages of the competition.
However, the Juve legend’s journey will not witness a fairytale ending as Inter clinched the Serie A title last week, shattering their bitter rivals’ dreams of the tenth successive Scudetto. Earlier, Pirlo’s men were knocked out of the Champions League in a disheartening manner against FC Porto in the round of 16.
Although the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta is Gigi Buffon’s final chance to taste glory in the Black and White shirt, Pirlo’s men face a mighty task against an inspired Dea seeking their first Cup title in four decades.
Juve’s tedious form this season has put them in serious threat of missing out on Champions League football next season, with the club sitting on fifth in the Serie A table with only three games to play.
The situation has also raised questions over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future, with the Portuguese mega-star entering the final year of his contract in July. But Buffon has shot down those claims, lauding the former Real Madrid forward for his ever-driven tenacity to be the best.
“I have an excellent relationship with Ronaldo. He’s very nice to me.”
“He has scored a lot of goals, always, just like in the last few years. The individual is enhanced when the team reaches important goals. If this doesn’t happen, the performances of the individuals suffer as well.”
