Juventus could move on from two club legends at the end of the 2020-2021 season. Center back Giorgio Chiellini and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon are two of the biggest stars in Italian football over the past couple of decades.
And perhaps nobody can match Buffon in the longevity department as a regular between the posts for both the Italian national team and the country’s biggest club. Buffon, even at the age of 43, remains effective. He made big saves in a must-win, 2-1 victory over Napoli, with the lone goal coming from the spot. Juventus are undefeated this season with Buffon in goal, including wins over Barcelona and Inter Milan.
Despite all this, Buffon may be ready for the next chapter in his illustrious career. And it’s possible his final chapter as a footballer will be written outside of Turin.
Buffon spent the 2018-2019 season with PSG in pursuit of a Champions League trophy that he’s still never won. The serial Scudetto winner then returned to Juve last season. Aside from the spell in PSG, Buffon started his senior career with Parma. But other than that, he has been with the Old Lady through and through, including a staggering 509 appearances from 2001 to 2018.
Gianluigi Buffon will decide his future at Juventus after May 19’s Coppa Italia Final against Atalanta
Before the 2021 summer transfer window opens, Buffon has a decision to make. La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Giovanni Albanese reports that Gianluigi Buffon will do so after the Coppa Italia Final between Juventus and Atalanta on May 19. Before that, Juve face rivals Inter on May 16. And afterward, they will travel to Bologna on May 23 for Serie A’s final Matchday.
Juventini could learn Buffon’s fate before the last match of the season, giving Buffon the opportunity to receive a farewell, even though fans cannot be in attendance. It would be a tough way to send Buffon off, but it may the only way, depending on what Buffon wants.
From Juve’s perspective, they should welcome Buffon back with open arms if he wants to stay for the 2021-2022 season. He has been solid this season in goal for the Old Lady with a save percentage of 92.9 and only 0.50 goals allowed per 90 in Serie A. When he is in goal, there is no drop-off between himself and Wojciech Szczesny, even though the latter is a great goalkeeper in his prime.
Buffon has time before he decides. He will meet with Juventus’ key decision-makers, and we will know what the future holds. No Juventino will fault Buffon for wanting a new challenge, no matter what that might mean for the 43-year-old. He has given so much to this club that the only reaction to a departure would be a hearty, tearful one. Because unlike his one-year spell at PSG, this goodbye would almost certainly be for good. So retirement, a new challenge, another year, whatever it is, Juventini are here to support Buffon.
But if there’s a day to wait for, it is late May, after the Coppa Italia. Buffon still has a job to do in Turin this season, and that includes winning another trophy against the exciting Atalanta.