Gianluigi Buffon has no plans to step down from the game

Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon has said that he has no plans of stepping down from the beautiful game despite turning 42 earlier this year. The veteran made the comeback to Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain on a Bosman last summer and he has since managed 11 appearances across all competitions.


Speaking to Juventus’ TV channel, Buffon said that the return to the Bianconeri was natural, given he had previously spent 17 years before making the switch to Paris in 2018. He added that he has no plans of retirement for the moment, he told: “The return to Juve was natural. In the end, I had a wonderful year in Paris and I must say that I needed it to detoxify myself. However it’s clear that the contact with Juve was always there, with the President, with Fabio Paratici, and old friends. I played a season abroad without cutting the umbilical cord. I don’t know what will happen next year, it is true that two years ago I practically retired and then what happened, happened.”

Buffon has clearly been the second-choice keeper behind Wojciech Szczesny during the current campaign and he has been satisfied with the role, given the present phase of his career. The Italian has not won the Champions League despite playing for more than two decades and that is definitely an ambition which has encouraged him to prolong his career.

The Bianconeri are currently trailing Lyon by a 1-0 score after the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 stage. The second leg at the Allianz stadium has been postponed for the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic and it remains to be seen whether the competition resumes at some stage this summer. Buffon’s contract with the Bianconeri expires at the end of the season but it won’t be a surprise, if he is handed an extension for next term.