Legendary goalkeeper Buffon announces retirement!

Nimmi3

A football star has bid farewell to the game as Gianluigi Buffon, aged 45, officially announced his retirement in August, bringing an illustrious 28-year career to a close. This legendary figure, hailed as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, will forever be etched in the annals of football history.

During those 28 years, Buffon, with his outstanding performances, accumulated an impressive haul of 29 championship honors. Born on January 28, 1978, he made his debut with Parma in 1995, where he helped the team secure the Italian Cup, UEFA Cup, and Italian Supercup. In 2001, he made a record-breaking €54.1 million transfer to Juventus, setting a new goalkeeper transfer fee record. From then on, he served Juventus for a remarkable 17 years. In 2018, Buffon joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, but he returned to Juventus after just one season. In 2021, he once again returned to Parma as a free agent and made 45 appearances for the club over two seasons. Although a Saudi club reportedly extended an invitation to him after the season ended, Buffon ultimately chose to conclude his illustrious career at his hometown club. There are rumors that after retirement, he may have an opportunity to join the Italian national team in a leadership role.

In his 28-year career, Buffon won 29 trophies, including one FIFA World Cup and one UEFA Europa League title, along with 10 Serie A titles, 6 Italian Cups, and 7 Italian Supercups. Additionally, he won titles in Serie B, Ligue 1, the French Supercup, and the UEFA U21 European Championship. Buffon is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, and his number of appearances is remarkable, totaling 1,151 games, making him one of the few players to surpass the 1,100-appearance mark. On the international stage, he earned 176 caps for Italy, setting a record for the most appearances by a goalkeeper in history and becoming Italy's most-capped player. He also holds the record for the most captaincies for the national team. As one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, Buffon was the first goalkeeper to win the Italian Footballer of the Year award and was selected as the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year 12 times. He was twice named in the UEFA Champions League Best XI and won the inaugural FIFA Best Goalkeeper award in 2019.

In the 2006 World Cup, he set a record with 5 clean sheets and received the Yashin Award. In 2011, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) named him the best goalkeeper of the 21st century, and in 2012, they selected him as the best goalkeeper of the past 25 years. Additionally, the IFFHS has recognized Buffon as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history. However, Buffon's career did have a few regrets. He never won the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League, despite reaching the Champions League final three times, all of which ended in defeat. In the 2012 UEFA European Championship, he was a runner-up. Furthermore, Buffon was unable to set a World Cup appearance record; although he participated in five World Cups, he missed the chance to become the first player in history to compete in six World Cups when Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament.

Upon his return to Parma, Buffon was expected to lead the team back to glory. However, in the promotion playoff against Cagliari, he was forced off due to injury, and Parma was ultimately eliminated after a comeback by the opponent. This added to the list of regrets in Buffon's career. Buffon's retirement marks the end of an era, and his name will forever be enshrined in the hall of football history, a timeless legend.

Kitu11

Retiring at this age truly cements his status as a legend!

977Iti

As a goalkeeper, from start to finish, Buffon is undoubtedly one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of world football. He has no regrets, having achieved great success and fame.

Samiksha

Buffon can certainly be considered one of the all-time greats in the goalkeeper position. From 1998 to 2018, he consistently maintained a high level of performance, spanning a remarkable 20-year career. It's fair to say that during that period, he was widely regarded as one of the world's top goalkeepers, and there would be little dispute about that assessment.

Neel4141

A little bit sad