Approaching his 40th birthday, Italian shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon has been open about his plans for the future over the summer. If Juventus fail to win the Champions League this season, Buffon claims he’s “99.9 percent” certain that he’ll end his professional career after the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
If Buffon is able to win that elusive Champions League title, his competitive nature would see him return to the field in an attempt to win the FIFA Club World Cup the following season.
“I’m going to have one final, intense season, rich in big moments, and then it will be time to say enough is enough,” Buffon told Sky Sport 24. “We’ve just left one small possibility open with the president. That is if we manage to win the Champions League I will carry on playing one more year to try to win the Club World Cup and other trophies.”
Buffon just completed his 22nd season as a professional, and his inclusion in both the ESM Team of the Year and the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season demonstrate the everlasting nature of his talents.
Expect a million eulogies to Buffon over the coming months, and there’ll be no end to the "When Gianluigi Buffon played his first professional match, player X wasn't even alive yet" factoids, so we can save those for later.
Instead, here’s one minute straight of incredible keeping from Buffon.
Gianluigi Buffon at his best. Unbeatable. pic.twitter.com/9onnIZbznl
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) July 23, 2017
Juventus is certainly going to miss this guy. The club has moved to sign Wojciech Szczesny for $14.2 million as Buffon’s deputy, and the Old Lady probably envision him as the perfect sacrificial lamb in a post-Buffon world.
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