(Football news) After a two-year tenure with Parma, the custodian, who spent 19 years at Juve in two distinct spells, will call it quits. He won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 and other trophies with Juventus, becoming one of the greatest goalkeepers of the modern period.
He has also become known for his longevity, playing at a high level far into his forties. Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano said on Twitter that Buffon has decided to retire from professional football and would make his decision public in the coming days.
He tweeted: “Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has decided to retire from professional football – it will be official in the next few days. “Buffon, 45 years old, was playing for Parma last season. One of the best goalkeepers in history of the game will now retire.”
Buffon, who is highly appreciated by both players and fans, was chosen football’s greatest ever custodian in a poll conducted for readers of France Football (through Football Italia) in 2016.
He won eight straight Scudettos with Juventus, where he developed an almost unbreakable combination with the core defensive trio of Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci.
Individually, Buffon was awarded the Best Keeper of the Decade (2001-2011) and the Best Keeper in the World in five different years (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2017) by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
He spent last season in Serie B with Parma, the club where he first established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but was limited to 19 games in all competitions due to injuries.
On Tuesday night, it was announced that one of the most decorated goalkeepers in football history would announce his retirement in the coming days. Buffon, one of the rare players with over 1,100 professional career appearances, has accomplished so much in the game.
From having the most Serie A appearances by a single player (657) to being the oldest player to win the Scudetto at 42, not to mention won the 2006 World Cup with Italy. He’s seen and done it all since making his Parma debut on November 19, 1995, at the age of 17 years and 295 days, in a league game against AC Milan.
Buffon has produced numerous world-class saves over the years, but many consider his one-handed save from a Roberto Carlos stinger to be his most memorable. Back in 2005, during a Champions League last-16 match between Juventus and Real Madrid, the Italian shot-stopper kept a clean sheet in The Old Lady’s 2-0 victory.
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