Gianluigi Buffon Confirms He Will Leave Juventus For Second Time At The End Of The Season

Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon has confirmed that he will once again leave the Old Lady at the end of the current campaign.

The 43-year-old Italian shot-stopper initially left Juventus in 2018 after a remarkable 17-year playing career in Turin.

Buffon spent the following season with Paris Saint-Germain and was rotated with Alphonse Areola under Thomas Tuchel as he lifted the Ligue 1 title with the French side.

The former PSG shot-stopper left the French capital in 2019 to make a sensational return to Juventus for a second spell and served as back-up for Wojciech Szczesny.

Now, Buffon has revealed that he will not extend his current deal with Juventus ahead of his contract expiring in June.

Speaking to beIN SPORTS, the Juventus star said: "My future is clear and defined. This beautiful and very long experience with Juve will come to a definitive end this year.

"Either I stop playing or if I find a situation that motivates me to play or have a different life experience, I will take it into consideration.

"I feel I gave everything for Juve. I have received everything and more than this cannot be done.

"We have reached the end of a cycle and it's right for one to remove the disturbance."

According to Adriano Del Monte, Buffon's last match in a Juventus shirt is 'expected' to be in the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta on 19th May.

Juventus have endured a disappointing season under Andrea Pirlo after the Italian side conceded the Serie A title to Inter Milan.

Pirlo's men could even miss out on a Champions League place next season as they sit fifth in the Serie A table behind fourth-place Napoli.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticised during Juventus' lacklustre campaign, but Buffon has defended him by saying the team's overall performance has not helped him.

The 2006 World Cup winner said: "I have an excellent relationship with Ronaldo. He's very nice to me.

"He has scored a lot of goal, always. Like in the last few years. The individual is enhanced when the team reaches important goals.

"If this doesn't happen, the performances of the individuals suffer as well."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football, Serie A, Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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