Gianluigi Buffon opened up about Giorgio Chiellini, who might play his final Juventus game against Inter in the Coppa Italia final later tonight: “He was my centurion. The player I spent the most time on the pitch with. He was my security blanket and my rock.”
The legendary goalkeeper talked to La Gazzetta dello Sport: “He was and still is one of my best friends. We shared a piece of our lives. He is more than a player or a teammate. When you go through certain experiences together, they stick with you, and you can not erase them. We had unique chemistry because we knew each other inside and out, our virtues and flaws. That was our strength.”
Buffon hopes Chiellini will go out on top: “I wish him to lift the trophy as the captain before leaving, as I did in 2018 and 2021. He deserves a major celebration because he is a great man, player, and friend. It is tough to find a person that possesses all his qualities. I can not thank him enough for his help over the years, and for the cheerfulness he always conveyed.”
“I think he represents the example of how commitment, intelligence, dedication and passion for your job can lead to unimaginable results. He is a hammer with himself and others. He never backs down and works super hard to reach his goals. He was not superb in terms of technique or stats, but he became elite, and I can not recall defenders that have been better than him over the last ten years.”