Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has admitted he was preparing to retire in the summer until the French club came calling.
The World Cup-winning shot-stopper looked set to end his career after yet another Scudetto with Juventus and admitted he would only have changed his mind for certain clubs.
How Buffon came to Paris: Five things you should know…
- Buffon started his career with Serie A side Parma making his debut at the age of 17.
- The ‘keeper won the 1999 UEFA Cup with Parma.
- He joined Juventus in 2001 for £23m – a world record fee for a goalkeeper at the time.
- The Italian won 11 Serie titles with Juventus and looked to be retiring in the summer of 2018.
- But Buffon signed for PSG instead, on a one-year-deal with an option for a second.
Buffon admitted he was preparing for life after football when the French champions came calling and it was the thought of a new challenge that spurred him on and made him reconsider his retirement plans.
The 40-year-old signed on a free transfer and has added experience and know-how to the Parisian side who are aiming to win the Champions League.
It was this challenge that the Italian admits helped pursued him to sign.
“The important thing is no longer passion, it is the challenge – I like that a lot,” Buffon told RMC Sport, as cited by Football Espana.
“I had decided to retire and only a call from PSG, Real Madrid or Barcelona could have changed my mind. It was only a dream, craziness, and then it happened!
“I was already getting ready for life after football. The call came back in May and I thought about it for two weeks. I decided that I was able to do one or two more seasons.”
READ MORE: The best two-footed players in Europe
Will Buffon help Paris Saint-Germain finally win the Champions League?
Everyone knows the main goal for PSG is to win Europe’s top club competition and, despite their best efforts, they have never made it past the quarter-final stage.
This season they will be hoping to go further with an attacking line-up which includes Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, yet Buffon’s experience could be the magic touch.
The goalkeeper has played at the top level for more than 20 years and his knowledge and leadership could help this talented group get further than they have previously.
PSG won their group which included both Liverpool and Napoli, with playing three times, and now face Manchester United in the last-16.
The post Buffon: “I was getting ready for life after football until PSG called” appeared first on Squawka News.
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