Italian goalkeeping legend retires at age 45
Italian goalkeeping icon and 2006 World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon has announced the end of his career at age 45.
“That’s all folks! You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together,” Buffon said on social media platforms in a post which included a video of some his biggest moments.
Buffon is Italy’s record international with 176 caps and the Serie A player with the most games in a glittering career spanning 28 years.
He spent 17 years at Juventus, from 2001 to 2018, after starting his professional career in 1995 at age 17 at Parma.
He returned to Juve in 2019 after one year at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Buffon then went back to Parma for a final two seasons in Serie B on an original contract until 2024.
“Thank you for everything,” Parma also tweeted.
Juventus said on the same social network: “A legend hangs up his gloves today.
“Your saves, your smiles, and your character will be forever remembered. Thank you, and congrats on an incredible career.”
Italy’s World Cup success of 2006 in Germany was his biggest international success and he was also named best goalkeeper of the tournament.
Buffon won 10 Serie A titles with Juve and stayed with them after they were relegated in connection with a corruption affair.
He reached the UEFA Champions League final three times with them.
His lone continental title came with Parma in the 1999 UEFA Cup.
Awards for one of the best goalkeepers of his generations included FIFA Best Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017 and a dozen Best Serie A Goalkeeper season awards.
The Italia Serie A tweeted: “There is football history. There is also Gigi Buffon. A fairy-tale career that took off and ended in one place.”
The UEFA Champions League simply tweeted: “Grazie Gigi.”
Buffon’s future was not immediately clear but reports said he could be offered a job with the Italian national team as head of delegation.
Gianluca Vialli had most recently held that position before he died at the beginning of 2023 from cancer.(dpa/NAN)
