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As Gianluigi Buffon gets the perfect goodbye, we must remember the great man as well as the great player


As Gianluigi Buffon gets the perfect goodbye, we must remember the great man as well as the great player

The evergreen shot stopper has had a huge impact on the careers of numerous players and the game itself.

FOR quite some time, Gigi Buffon had identified the 2018 World Cup as the moment he would bid farewell to football and hang up his gloves. He would be 40 years old and have accomplished almost everything the game had to offer, which meant that one last tournament with his beloved national team would be the perfect ending to a fairytale career.

Then Sweden won. A single goal over their two-legged play-off meant that the Scandinavian side would advance at the expense of Italy and the Juventus Captain was devastated. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he left the field at San Siro, the stark realisation that the Azzurri had failed to qualify for only the second time in their history. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

While a generation of supporters lamented the fact that their team would not be in Russia, nobody felt the loss more deeply than Buffon. An intelligent, deep-thinking man who has often discussed his battle with depression, he sat out for a few games when the domestic season resumed and then openly talked about playing on next season.

Slowly, that idea seemed to melt away, but the devastating emotional blow of never representing Italy again still rankled. Coach Giampiero Ventura was fired for his failure, with Under-21 boss Luigi Di Biagio placed in temporary charge as the Azzurri look to rebuild around a talented core of young players who had been criminally overlooked by his predecessor.

Then, as this month’s international break approached, rumours that Buffon could be given a more fitting send off began to surface. They were eventually confirmed, and when Italy take the field at both the Etihad Stadium and then Wembley, he will be back between the posts where he belongs. Fans of Argentina and England will undoubtedly cherish the chance to see the final outings of such an iconic figure, but it will be his own supporters who enjoy them most of all. The vitriol towards Ventura’s costly errors tainted Buffon’s last appearance, but now there is an opportunity to say goodbye in a more fitting manner.

His story has by now been told and retold so many times that his sheer brilliance is in danger of becoming monotonous, the sheer volume of columns dedicated to telling his legend making it almost seem banal. By now the talking points are engrained into the mind of anyone who follows football closely; the Serie A debut for Parma when a teenager kept a clean sheet against the mighty AC Milan, a move to Juventus that remains the highest transfer fee ever paid for a goalkeeper followed by countless trophies and individual honours. His breathtaking performances for club and country span three decades, while Buffon’s displays during Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph were undoubtedly the difference between glory and defeat.

His longevity has become incredible, boasting more caps for Italy than any other player, he is closing in on Paolo Maldini’s Serie A appearance record and he continues to excel. If Juve record a shutout for the next 45 minutes he is on the field, Buffon will break his own record for minutes without conceding a goal despite the fact he celebrated his 40th birthday back in January.

Yet, while it has undoubtedly been a wonderful and unrepeatable journey, what deserves to be celebrated this week is not just the brilliant player who has chosen to walk away, but the man that we will no longer get to watch. “Gigi’s a monument and is here not only to unify the team but also play and give something more,” Di Biagio said at a press conference earlier this week. “He’s an added value for us, both on and off the field.”

In a sport dominated by hyperbole, that might well be a rare moment of understated praise as many of Buffon’s peers have previously lauded his impact on them away from the television cameras and global spotlight. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Mattia Perin are more than capable goalkeepers – even potentially great ones in their own right – yet both have openly admitted that a few quiet words from Buffon have helped them immensely during their young careers.

Zinedine Zidane labelled him “a born leader,” while Blaise Matuidi had a surprising answer when he was asked which team-mate who had impressed him most since joining Juventus from Paris SG last summer. "I knew Buffon as a player, but not as a man, and the man too is extraordinary, great, great respect, a great professional," the Frenchman told L’Equipe.

Then there was the funeral of Italy team-mate Davide Astori, where Buffon refused to enter the church through an alternative side. "No, we'll go in the front door and let the people see that Juventus are here,” he told La Nazione. "Going to Florence for us is never simple, but when we arrived we saw the Viola fans who applauded us, who too called us and thanked us, it was a very nice gesture. Our presence made them feel less alone & this made me proud. It was my last goodbye not only to a great friend of mine, but to one of the most beautiful people I've found in sport.”

The understanding he has for almost everyone he encounters is perhaps only rivalled by the inspiration he offers, with countless examples of Buffon delivering a perfectly timed speech or having a quick chat with a new arrival. Patrice Evra has admitted that it was an outburst from the club captain that sparked a 28-game unbeaten run in Serie A back in 2015/16, while unheralded Uruguayan youngster Rodrigo Bentancur has told of his surprise to discover Buffon knew his name when he joined Juventus back in April.

These small acts are likely to be forgotten as the years pass, but two friendlies this week offer a chance to see him represent Italy for the final time, and this one cannot be spoiled by defeat. He’ll belt out the national anthem in the same deep, resounding voice he always has, he’ll stand between the posts wearing the no.1 shirt and the captain’s armband, then he’ll probably make at least one draw-dropping save.

Then, when the final whistle blows, he’ll find the perfect words to sum it all up because that’s just who he is. A legendary and brilliant goalkeeper, Gigi Buffon is and always will be a great man too.

 

 

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