Thirty-two years later, Gianluigi Buffon hangs up his boots where it all began, in Parma. As expected, the goalkeeper of the Gialloblu (Blue and Yellow), world champion with Italy in 2006, announced on Wednesday August 2 that he was ending his sports career at 45 years old. “It’s over, friends! You gave me everything, I gave you everything. We did it together, ”wrote the ex-captain of Squadra Azzura (176 caps) on his X account (formerly Twitter), this message being accompanied by a short video recounting his entire career.

Arrived in Parma in 1991, at the age of 13, the native of Carrara (Tuscany) made his debut in Serie A (Italian first division) on November 19, 1995 when he was not yet of age. Thirsty for titles, Gianluigi Buffon decided to join Juventus in Turin in 2001, where the goalkeeper forged an exceptional record (10 Italian Championships, a record, 6 Italian Cups and 7 Italian Super Cups), despite a brief stint in Serie B (Italian second division) following the Calciopoli scandal (a match-fixing affair).

Kylian Mbappé’s tribute

656 matches later, the Italian goalkeeper, pushed by the president of Juventus, Andrea Agnelli, left Italy for the first time and joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2018. In the capital club, Gianluigi Buffon divides his time game with Frenchman Alphonse Areola. And, despite a title of champion of France and a Champions trophy, he does not exercise the option of an additional year of his contract and returns to Juventus, at the end of the 2018-2019 season.

Kylian Mbappé, who rubbed shoulders with him for a year, paid tribute to the Italian giant (1.92 meters) on social networks. “A huge honor for me to have had the chance to meet you and cross paths with your legendary career. A golden man with valuable advice that I will keep with me all my life. Bon voyage and above all THANK YOU,” the Frenchman wrote on his X account on Wednesday.

Goalkeeper most often named to the Ballon d’Or (9 times) – he was ranked 2nd, in 2006, behind his compatriot Fabio Cannavaro -, Gianluigi Buffon had decided to return to Parma in May 2021 (Serie B club) after two years spent at Juve, returning to the formation with which he won the 1999 UEFA Cup. Worn down by his long career (28 seasons and more than 1,100 professional matches), the Italian hero of the World Cup final 2006 won against France (1-1, 5-3 tab) goes away serenely. The circle is complete.