Former Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is set to retire from professional football cover but recently rejected the chance to play in the Saudi Pro League.
The 45-year-old is sure to go down in history as one of the greatest ever goalkeepers, having enjoyed a remarkable career for club and country, winning ten Serie A titles with Juve, Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain, and, most memorably, the 2006 World Cup with the Italian national team.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Buffon is now retiring, and added in his exclusive CaughtOffside column that the veteran shot-stopper recently rejected offers from Saudi clubs in order to hang up his gloves instead.
Buffon most recently played for Parma in Serie B, and one imagines he might have had a year or two left in him in Saudi Arabia or another less competitive league, but he’s had a long and successful career and has truly earned the chance to finally call it a day.
Romano also paid tribute to Buffon as one of the all-time greats, saying: “Legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is set to retire from football at the age of 45. The Italian has had an incredible career and was still playing with Parma last season, he also had offers from Saudi Arabian clubs three weeks ago but decided to turn them down.
“It’s sad to see Buffon’s career coming to an end, but what a career it’s been. For me, he’s the best goalkeeper ever and one of the best Italian players ever – we will probably never see another like him. An incredible player and great leader, he will go down as a legend in football history.”