Gianluigi Buffon: ‘Since The Age Of 7, I Have Supported Juventus’

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has claimed he has supported the Old Lady since the age of seven and also declared he hasn’t hung up his boots yet because he’s “fine and wants to respect the dreams I had as a child.”

The 42-year-old spoke to Juventus’ TV channel amid the coronavirus and also spoke of his desire for the Turin-based club. 

Buffon, who has spent 18 years at Juve and is into his second spell at the club, has made a total of 667 appearances between the sticks in all competitions, producing 314 clean sheets along the way.

“Do you want a revelation? Which I have never said as I didn’t want to look the part of a company man? As a child, up to the age of seven, I was a Juventus fan,” Buffon said in the interview.

“But I fell in love with Giovanni Trapattoni and when he went to Inter [in 1986], I hesitated because my love for his character was such that I then supported Inter.

“Then I started to cheer for Pescara, Como, Avellino, Campobasso, and then from 12 years old, I started supporting Genoa. This makes it clear how important figures are beyond the team. Trapattoni electrified me.”

Having had a spell with French champions, Paris-Saint Germain, the shot-stopper never thought about retiring having returned to Juve last summer following his stint in the French capital.

“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.

“Why am I not retiring? Because I feel fine, and I want to respect the dreams I had when I was a small boy. At that age I would’ve been thrilled had they told me that I would become a Serie C goalkeeper.”

Following the departure of Edwin van der Sar, who was sold to Fulham, Buffon joined the Serie A champions in 2001 in a $56.6million deal from Parma.

The experienced goalkeeper remains in self-isolation along with the rest of his teammates for the foreseeable future. Following the coronavirus pandemic, himself, along with others from the 2006 World Cup-winning Italy squad, continue to fundraise for hospitals across the country.