Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is set to put on the Juventus shirt one final time this Saturday. But it may not be the last time he plays pro soccer.
The 40-year-old announced at a press conference Thursday that he would play his final match for Juventus against Hellas Verona in the last round of Serie A matches this season. It ends a run of 17 years for Buffon as the shot stopper for the Old Lady, and he ends his time at Juve as a record holder in many categories. Buffon also won nine Serie A titles (11 if you count the Calciopoli titles that were later revoked) and four Coppa Italias, though he never won the UEFA Champions League.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
🎙 @gianluigibuffon: "Saturday will be my final match for Juventus and to end this journey with two cups and with the president and the entire Bianconeri world by my side, will be very special."
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) May 17, 2018
Had Buffon and Juventus won the Champions League, there were some rumors that Buffon would sign on for another season (or at least six months) in order to compete for the FIFA Club World Cup. But with Juventus knocked out by Real Madrid at the final moments, with Buffon earning an unceremonious red card dismissal in second half stoppage time, he was ready to hang up the boots.
That was, until, as Buffon said, some “interesting” offers came in to he and his agent. One of those offers is rumored to be from Boca Juniors, where Buffon’s former Juventus teammate Carlos Tevez is once again plying his trade.
🎙 @gianluigibuffon: "I'm proud to have received many proposals for the future, but it's in my character to launch myself into the next challenge with the utmost dedication."
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) May 17, 2018
Either way, Buffon is putting a bow on what’s been an amazing career. Watch the video below (and be sure to turn on subtitles if you don’t speak Italian or Spanish) of Barcelona’s Gerard Pique interviewing Buffon about retirement, soccer, and the future.