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Barcelona Result Made Gianluigi Buffon Go Back On Promise

Barcelona Result Made Gianluigi Buffon Go Back On Promise

Glad he changed his mind.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Gianluigi Buffon is in the hunt for the one major trophy missing from his trophy cabinet, the Champions League trophy. However the match against Barcelona wasn't just a threat on that dream but also his career.

Buffon is arguably the best goalkeeper of his generation, which pretty much spans this one and the previous one where Italian sides ruled the continent.

However despite winning numerous Serie A titles with Juventus and the World Cup and European Championships with Italy he still hasn't won the Champions League.

A much younger Buffon. PA Images

Twice he's made the final with the Old Lady, losing to AC Milan on penalties and Barcelona thanks to goals from Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar two years ago.

This season Buffon once again came up against Barcelona, this time in the recent quarter finals, and the Italian legend revealed that he nearly had to retire because of the result:

"I had promised to quit football at the end of the season if I kept a clean sheet against Barcelona over two legs."

One of the few saves Buffon actually had to make. PA Images

Of course the Old Lady would win the first leg 3-0, thanks to a first half blitz, before holding Luis Enrique's side off in the second leg for a 0-0 draw with the result never in doubt.

That meant that the 39 year old had to go back on his previous promise, "I told the President (Andrea Agnelli) and he said at times in life we say stupid things, not to worry and move on.

"So I had to take the promise back. The President has more experience than me and gave me good advice.

"Keeping a clean sheet against the Spaniards was very satisfying, because it was earned and shared with the group, with the lads in defence and all the others who ran their socks off to ensure we came away unharmed from those two games."

Will this be the year Buffon finally gets his hands on the Champions League trophy. PA Images

Juve have once again reached the semi-final of the Champions League and with Barcelona and Bayern Munich already out this may be their best chance of winning it.

First they must get past a very tricky and attacking Monaco side before taking on one of the two Madrid sides in the final in Cardiff should they get there.

Will this be the year?

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