So there it is. After 20 years, a mammoth haul of appearances, a healthy dose of silverware and a pit-stop in Paris. Gianluigi Buffon’s Juventus career is finally drawing to a close.
Seriously, it is this time.
The Azzurri and Bianconeri stalwart announced that he’ll be departing Turin following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2021/22 season. His final game for the club may arrive in the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta later this month.
It’s an incredibly sad day for Juventini, who are poised to see the back of another modern-day icon in Giorgio Chiellini this summer too. It’s the end of a dominant era in Turin but for Buffon, as Jordan Belfort – well, Leonardo Di Caprio – once proclaimed: “THE SHOW GOES ON!’.
Although, I’m sure Andrea Agnelli won’t need a wrecking ball to drive Buffon out of the Allianz Stadium.
Buffon’s statement opened the door for a keeping career post-Juve exit and although the 43-year-old may yet call it quits on an illustrious career that saw him emerge as one of the game’s greatest ever goalkeepers, we thought we’d envisage a world that involved Buffon prolonging his career beyond the summer.
Thus, here are some potential options for the Juve great.
Parma
A return to Emilia-Romagna would be magical, 20 years after he exited following a decade-long stint at the club that started at age 13.
Buffon notched 220 appearances for Parma between 1996 and 2001, emerging as a key protagonist in the club’s late ’90s pomp that returned a UEFA Cup triumph and a pair of domestic successes.
However, Parma’s demise to Serie B this term makes such a fairytale tricky. But hey, Buffon’s played in Italy’s second-tier before *wink, wink*, so let’s make this move happen, please.
Roma
Jose Mourinho bringing the old dog to the Eternal City would compare to D-Generation X’s return to Raw in 2018.
Such a union would undoubtedly spark a dramatic upsurge in the circulation of ‘washed’ memes on Twitter, but I think it’s plausible.
Mourinho’s poised to replace the unconvincing Pau Lopez as the Giallorossi’s number one this summer and free-agent Buffon may well arouse the interest of the connoted ‘has-been’.
Everton
Carlo Ancelotti. That’s the sole reason Everton have been included in this list.
The Everton boss coached Buffon for two years at Parma and a distinct mutual respect has developed between the pair over time.
When Napoli prepared to take on Buffon’s Paris Saint-Germain in the 2018/19 Champions League group stages, Ancelotti said this regarding his former player: “It’s always a pleasure to meet him again, to see that he is motivated despite his age, I have great respect for the professional and great affection for my friend”.
Buffon would later say: “Carlo Ancelotti is the coach I owe the most to.”
How cute!
Napoli
Gazzetta dello Sport (via ESPN) linked Napoli with a move for Buffon back in March. However, such a switch was reliant on David Ospina’s supposed exit to Atalanta – a rumour that’s cooled in recent weeks.
Plus, with Gennaro Gattuso poised to depart Naples at the end of the season, the attitude of the new boss towards Alex Meret will be pivotal regarding a potential pursuit of Buffon. Nevertheless, Napoli represent an attractive option for the Calcio stalwart if he wants to remain in Italy.
Porto
While some may think this rumour only emerged because fellow modern-day great Iker Casillas made the move after departed his long-time super club, there is, in fact, a little substance behind this whisper.
Buffon confirmed in the summer of 2019 that he’d received an offer from Porto after turning down a contract extension with PSG, with the Italian’s agent noting that the Portuguese giants were a club that his client “liked”.
As we know, the veteran shot-stopper would make a shock return to Turin on that occasion but there’s no reason to suggest that Porto won’t make another play for Buffon this summer.