Gianluigi Buffon will not re-up his contract with Juventus and will either retire or play elsewhere next season. The legendary goalkeeper announced his farewell in an interview with Bein Sport: “I have already decided my future. My time in Turin will come to a definitive end this year.”
However, he did not shut the door on signing for another club: “I will certainly consider a destination that could provide new motivations. Otherwise, I will just hang my gloves up. I have given everything and received as much from the Bianconeri. We have arrived at the end of a cycle, and it is only fair for me to leave.”
“I was tempted to go be a starter for a Champions League side in September and I told the club, but I had already committed to them and I am a correct person, plus they hired Andrea Pirlo. I decided to stay to help out, but the last two years have been tough for me.”
Buffon commented on the disappointing season: “We lacked consistency, we went toe-to-toe with the best clubs, but we dropped points in silly fashion in easier games. This means we still have to grow and mature.” On Cristiano Ronaldo: “I have a great relationship with him, I like him a lot. He scored a ton of goals this year, as always. Then it is clear that any player can be affected by the team’s performance.”
The goalkeeper returned to the Old Lady as a backup in 2019 after a campaign with PSG. He has accumulated 27 appearances in the last two seasons and could add a couple more down the stretch. He first joined the Old Lady from Parma in 2001. He contributed to a record-breaking ten Scudetti, five Coppa Italia, and seven Supercoppa Italiana. He won Ligue 1 with PSG and the UEFA Cup with Parma, on top of the 2006 World Cup with Italy.