Italy Legend Gianluigi Buffon Sings New Deal with Parma

Gianluigi Buffon in the 2018 world cup
Gianluigi Buffon in the 2018 world cup. Photo by Matt McNulty/JMP/REX/Shutterstock (9475042o)

Gianluigi Buffon turned 44 in January, but he still isn’t thinking about retirement. As a matter of fact, the legendary Italian goalkeeper just signed a new deal with Parma that will see him playing soccer as a 46-year-old.

Seria B club confirmed the news on Monday, announcing that Buffon inked a contract through the 2023-24 season.

Buffon joined Parma’s youth academy when he was 13 years old in 1991 and made his professional debut in Seria A when he was 17 years old. He spent six seasons with the club, helping them win three trophies, including the UEFA Cup in 1999, before switching to powerhouse Juventus in 2001. The transfer made him the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.

In the following 18 years, Buffon established himself as one of the world’s best goalkeepers and was part of Juve’s teams that won nine Seria A titles and several other trophies. He then Turin to join Paris Saint-Germain for 2018–19, winning Ligue 1 trophy before returning to Juventus the following year.

After two more years with Juventus, during which he bagged another Seria A trophy, Buffon left as a free agent. He decided to return to Parma, now in Seria B, to help his boyhood club get back to the top division. However, this looks highly unlikely at the moment as Parma currently sits 13th on the standings with slim chances to reach the promotion playoffs.

Buffon was also No. 1 for Italy’s national team for more than two decades, playing 176 games on the international level. He was part of the squad that won the 2006 World Cup. 

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