Juventus’ Gianluigi Buffon has spoken about his time with the club and insists he wants to remain in Turin for the rest of his career.
The 34-year-old World Cup winner also reminisced over his favourite matches with the club and the new arrivals at the Juventus Stadium this season.
First trophy as captain
“It was nice to lift the trophy in Beijing, but I’m honestly not a massive fan of being the centre of attention in such situations. I don’t find it right that the honour of lifting a trophy is reserved to just one person. That’s why I’m often found at the back and to one side of photos from the awards ceremonies. And that’s why after lifting the cup in Beijing I immediately passed it across to the other lads.”
Juventus for life
“I’ve already spent 12 years wearing this shirt, almost half of my life so far, but I hope that my adventure with Juventus continues for a long time, at least up until 15 years. Only a few players can say they’ve stayed at such an important team for that length of time.
“I had a fantastic first five years here, given the satisfaction we enjoyed in the championship, even though there was a little disappointment in the Champions League. We were probably the strongest team in Europe, but we never managed to win it.
“The year in Serie B is something I recall with pleasure, because I stayed and owed it to the fans to do so. It would have been too easy to leave at that particular moment.
“The most difficult period was the return to Serie A, because we were aware of how difficult it would be to return to winning ways. I asked myself if staying at Juve was worth it. After last year, the answer is an emphatic yes, because the feeling of winning the Scudetto again was so intense, and something I would not have experienced with any other team. Now I’d like to end my time with Juventus by winning something important.”
Champions League
“When I saw the draw, I thought ourselves and Shakhtar would have gone through. The Ukrainians have been strong for a number of years and have improved even further. Given the way the group is shaping up, I’d say they’re now the favourites and we’ll fight it out with Chelsea. I hope I’ve made the right prediction.”
Memorable games
“I have fond memories of the San Siro triumph in 2005. We triumphed 1-0 thanks to Trezeguet’s strike from a Del Piero assist. The victory was made even more special by the fact that we were a little fearful of Milan in the build-up, given that they had picked up plenty of points in the approach to the encounter.
“The hardest moment was last year’s game against Lecce. I suffered a great deal after that mistake, even though I was immediately given a warm reception by the public. Then, three days later, we had that evening in Trieste, which felt like a cycle had drawn to a close. We achieved a dream we’d been following for a long time.”
New arrivals
“Pogba and Asamoah are the ones who have surprised the most. The former, in spite of his young age, is ready to play, while Asa has dealt brilliantly with the step up to a big team. I won’t forget the others though: Isla and Bendtner are two great players and I’m waiting for them to break into the first team. Giovinco is giving us great support and Lucio provides guaranteed quality.”
Unbeaten streak
“It’s a magnificent run, especially considering the question mark hanging over all of our heads 14 months ago. Instead, we’ve been able to build something unique in this period of time. I don’t think that any team has managed to do the same as we have after two seventh-placed finishes.”
Home life
“I conduct a very normal life with my family. Being on the road as often as I am, we try and stay at home when we can. My wife cooks and every now and again we enjoy a nice bottle of red wine. My eldest son, Luis Thomas, has got two inflatable goals and we often play football together. As my dad did with me, I tell him that he’ll never be able to play, but actually I can see he’s got something decent.
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