At the age of 45 and after a career that included a World Cup title with Italy, a long list of trophies with Juventus and many years when he was considered among the best goalkeepers in soccer, Gianluigi Buffon has announced his retirement.
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Buffon had one season remaining on his contract with Parma in Serie B and, therefore, leaves the sport with the same team that he began his professional career with nearly three decades ago.
"That's all folks! You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together," Buffon wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
The pinnacle of Buffon's career came during the 2006 World Cup, when he conceded only two goals during the seven matches of the Azzurri's run to the trophy.
Neither of those two goals were scored by opponents during open play. One was an own goal by teammate Cristian Zaccardo and the other a penalty kick by Zinedine Zidane during the final.
At Juventus, Buffon was the backbone behind 10 Serie A titles and stayed with the club even after the 2006 "Calciopoli" scandal when the team were relegated to Serie B. He helped the Bianconeri win the second division title a year after the World Cup title.
The only big title missing from Buffon's career was the Champions League, having lost three finals with Juventus -- to AC Milan in 2003, to Barcelona in 2015 and to Real Madrid in 2017.
Buffon left Juventus for Paris St Germain in 2018 only to return to the Turin club a year later as a backup to Wojciech Szczesny. He then made a sentimental return to Parma in 2021.
Australian Associated Press
