Juventus and Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon has retired from football, 28 years since he started a career that saw him set many records while winning numerous trophies.
In a post on social media to announce the decision, the former Juventus gloveman said, “That’s all folks! You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together.”
His post has been met with many heartwarming messages for the man who turned out 975 and 176 times for clubs and Italy as a professional. He kept 506 clean sheets and 27 trophies during his near three-decade presence in football as a player. The most iconic of those trophies would, however, remain the 2006 World Cup he won in Germany with the Azzurri.
Juventus, with whom he spent two decades, tweeted, “A legend hangs up his gloves today. Juventus. “Your saves, your smiles, and your character will be forever remembered.” The club added in a letter to their former star, “It is incredibly difficult to talk about football on a day when the beautiful game bids farewell to its number one par excellence.
“You were not simply the best; you were more than that. You gave the position a face and became THE goalkeeper to beat and aspire to be.
“You are the player that has worn our jersey for the longest and won the most trophies. You rank second in the all-time appearance charts and are, of course, the shot-stopper with the most clean sheets to his name. You were our captain and our rock. You were simply Gigi.”
Kyle Krause, President of Parma Calcio, where Gigi started and ended his career said, “Throughout his illustrious career, which is unparalleled, Gigi has demonstrated unparalleled skill, relentless determination and unwavering passion on and off the pitch. Parma Calcio sends its heartfelt congratulations to a true champion and friend.”
Buffon began his career in 1995 with Parma where he played until 2001 when he signed for Juventus. After 509 league appearances for Juventus between 2001 and 2018, Buffon swapped the Serie A for the French Ligue 1 where he played for Paris Saint Germain for a season before returning to Juventus. He then moved on to his boyhood club, Parma in 2021 and played there until the end of last season. Buffon has played for the Italy national team both at youth level and at senior level where he made a staggering 176 appearances for the Azzurri between 1997 and 2018.
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