For the second time in his storied career, Gianluigi Buffon is set to part ways with Juventus.
The legendary goalkeeper initially arrived to Turin from Parma in a record breaking deal in 2001, and spent 17 long years protecting the Old Lady’s net.
The 43-year-old left the club in 2018, spending one season at Paris Saint Germain, before sealing a surprising return to the Bianconeri.
After acting as an understudy for Wojciech Szczesny in the last two campaigns, the former Italy captain will be searching for a new adventure.
On Tuesday, famous Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano posted the news via his Twitter account.
Gigi Buffon announces to Bein Sports: “I’ve decided to leave Juventus at the end of the season, I’m not extending the contract”. ⚪️⚫️ #Buffon #Juventus
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 11, 2021
IlBianconero also reported Gigi’s quotes from the interview with Bein Sports.
“My future is clear and defined. Either I stop playing or I find another stimulating adventure, to play and have a different life experience. I think I have given everything for Juve, I have received everything as well, and we can’t do more than that. It is the end of a cycle and it’s only fair that I remove this disturbance,” said the shot-stopper.
“This season, we lacked consistency. In the matches against top sides in the standings, we often won, occasionally drew and sometimes lost, but we always played evenly. We lost stupid points against the smaller ones, this means that you have to grow temperamentally.
“I have an excellent relationship with Ronaldo. He is a very nice guy. This year he scored lots of goals as always. The player would always be happy when his team reaches important goals, but at times of failure, he would also be affected.” concluded the Italian.
Buffon is expected to start in the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta on May 19, which could prove to be his last for Juventus.