July 9 – He may be 40 and have retired from international football but Gianluigi Buffon is about to enter a new phase of his stellar career.
The Italian goalkeeping legend is leaving Juventus after 17 years to join Paris St-Germain on a free transfer.
Buffon’s €52 million transfer fee in 2001 from Parma is still a record for a goalkeeper and such is his status in the game that PSG have wasted no time handing another challenge to Italy’s most-capped player.
Both club and player have something very much in common in the sense that neither has won the Champions League and Buffon is under no illusions how much PSG are banking on his experience and winning mentality.
“For the first time in my career, I am leaving my country, and only a project as ambitious as this could have encouraged me to make such a decision,” he told the PSG website. “I have followed the club’s incredible progression in recent years, and I know what dreams PSG and its fans hold in their hearts.
“I am going to bring all my energy, all my experience and all of my desire to win, to help my new club achieve all the great objectives it has set out for the future.”
PSG Chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi, whose club is once again the subject of UEFA financial fair play scrutiny, hopes Buffon’s presence will rub off on his new teammates.
“His incredible career, as well as his ambitious personality, unifying and elegant, make him one of the most-admired and respected players in world football,” Al-Khelaifi said. “At 40 years of age, his passion for football is as strong as ever.”
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