Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon has revealed why he stayed back at Juventus during the highly controversial Calciopoli phase 12 years ago. Incidentally, in July 2006, the Azzurri national team rose to glory by lifting the FIFA World Cup in Germany – the same month the match-fixing scandal rocked the country’s first and second-tier leagues.
The iconic Parma prodigy spoke to Italian outlet La Stampa (via JuventusNews24) about his choice of staying put with the Bianconeri during those years and dealing with being relegated to Serie B after securing world football’s biggest accolade.
“I was just back from the victory in Berlin and opting to stay in Turin was a heavy choice. I suffered during Calciopoli.”
The Bianconeri spent 100 billion lire (€52M) to Parma for the goalkeeper’s services – a world-record transfer fee back then for a shot-stopper. Buffon weighed in.
“Juve paid more than anyone, but there were also other clubs and managers. I wanted to give a strong signal and say thanks to the people and to the club. I want to give something back, since I received a lot from them.”
Buffon was one of the three players from the World Cup winning side who chose to stick to Juventus, along with Alessandro Del Piero and Mauro Camoranesi during Calciopoli. While then Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro decided to move away from the club along with Gianluca Zambrotta.