The decision will be officially made only at the end of the season, but, as things stand, everything is set up for Gianluigi Buffon to continue playing with Juventus for at least another campaign, La Stampa reports. The 43-year-old goalkeeper has adapted nicely to his back-up role and has been able to avoid injuries. He collected his 680th appearance with the club in Tuesday’s nil-nil tie with Inter, which will allow him to play in his tenth Coppa Italia final.
Gazzetta dello Sport added that Buffon and president Andrea Agnelli have a rock-solid relationship and that no negotiation will be needed to extend his contract. It will depend only on the will of the player, who so far has not manifested any sign that he plans to hang his gloves up.
Buffon is in the midst of his 27th season and reached the milestone of 1100 official matches last week. He is currently the second oldest goalkeeper to ever start a game, but, should he continue, he will be able to beat Marco Ballotta, who set the record at 44 years, one month and eight days in his last game with Lazio versus Genoa.
The legendary goalkeeper first openly considered retirement in 2017, but he continuously pushed back the date because his physique has held up and his level of performance has remained the same when called upon. Furthermore, he would love to cap his career with a Champions League win. The outlets indicate that he is key presence in the Bianconeri locker room for his leadership, charisma and empathy and was one of the only players to build a rapport with Maurizio Sarri.