Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini have signed new contracts with Juventus FC confirmed President Andrea Agnelli in a press conference earlier today. 

Speaking at the event Juventus President Andrea Agnelli confirmed the deals:

“This is a very special day for the club. Our captain and vice-captain announce their contract renewals. The first [Buffon] is in his 14th season with us, and will be here until 2017, and the second [Chiellini] until 2018. These numbers are enough to understand what they mean for Juventus. These two champions represent Juventus and what it means to be a Juventino: never giving up, hard work and knowing that all that matters is the desire for a result or victory.”

Agnelli went on to praise the pair for staying with the Old Lady when the club was demoted to Serie B following Calciopoli in 2006.

“They are, in effect, a representation of the recent past. They are two people who were in Heaven, fell into Hell and accompanied Juventus back to Heaven again on the field. What I want to emphasise today is that this is not some sort of lifetime achievement award, not to Gigi or Giorgio. We are professional and they convinced us that it is right to continue the journey together because they have not achieved all their goals. I agree with their goals and dreams, and I hope we can turn them into reality, it takes consistency and they have it.”

Buffon’s new deal will see his contract extended until 2017, while Chiellini will remain at the club until at least 2018. Earlier reports earlier indicated that Buffon’s new deal will see him take home a reduced salary of €3.5m, while Chiellini will earn €3m each year.

“I’m excited and proud to be here today,” Chiellini told journalists.

“Juventus are one big family, and the President [Andrea Agnelli] is a symbol. I’m happy, and I hope to make the fans and the club proud until the last day [of my contract]. As the President said, today should not be considered an award, but an incentive to achieve big things. What makes me most proud is that in years to come, when people speak of Chiellini they will think of Juventus.”

“One regret I have is that we didn’t get to play the Europa League final at home. It could have been a road signposted by destiny, it’s a regret that I carry with me to this day. We were convinced that we could experience a great achievement in our own stadium.”

Buffon echoed his teammates sentiments when asked the same question by journalists at the event.

“Which days do I regret? There’s the Coppa Italia final we lost against Napoli, because although that was a great team which deservedly won the title, we were left with a bitter taste in our mouths because we could have had a great double…And then of course there’s the failure to make the final of the Europa League last year. It’s something which we had set as a goal, we thought it was our destiny to play in the final in front of our fans. But with some mistakes on our part we were not able to fulfil that dream.”

“Of course there are some targets which grow in importance over time, but not personal targets for my own sake. Like all team sports, I think when you achieve a goal sharing it with your teammates and the club is the best part. It definitely true that the highest level of recognition for a club team – and we all know what that is – is a dream. But dreams can come true. There are no limits even if we know that such targets are very difficult to reach.”