Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon admits criticism “fires me up” and names Milan’s Gigio Donnarumma as his heir.
The Bianconeri captain had been criticised for a couple of mistakes, the first on international duty with Italy and the second on Saturday against Udinese.
However, the 38-year-old hit back on Tuesday night with a stunning display against Lyon to silence his critics.
“What reaction to I have to a mistake?” Buffon considered, speaking to Corriere della Sera.
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon admits criticism “fires me up” and names Milan’s Gigio Donnarumma as his heir.
The Bianconeri captain had been criticised for a couple of mistakes, the first on international duty with Italy and the second on Saturday against Udinese.
However, the 38-year-old hit back on Tuesday night with a stunning display against Lyon to silence his critics.
“What reaction to I have to a mistake?” Buffon considered, speaking to Corriere della Sera.
“It’s something that causes me a shock, it’s something that I’m not used to so when it happens I struggle to accept it.
“Am I self-critical? Very much so, I still flagellate myself psychologically and morally for a few days, there are certain mistakes I can’t accept.
“As for the criticism, at the risk of being a masochist: I like it.
“It fires me up, if it didn’t then I’d have stopped. It does irritate me when they touch on certain subjects though, I have 22 years of a career behind me, I think I’ve proved something.
“And it’s not like my last good season was three years ago, I was important at the European Championships, both on and off the pitch.
“How do I consider the Lyon game? Normal. I play to prove I can be different from the others, that at 38 I can do things the others haven’t done. That’s my challenge.”
Buffon plans to retire after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but believes his namesake Donnarumma is ready to step into his shoes.
“Despite the age gap, Gigio is like a little brother to me. He’s a special lad, very calm: I was completely different at his age.
“He’s thoughtful, intelligent and has extraordinary quality. He has everything to make history in the role. We’ll just have to wait 20 years to make conclusions.”
What will the veteran do when he finally does hang up his gloves?
“Football has been my world for 32 years,” Buffon pointed out.
“I had the good fortune to be like a worm on the inside, obtaining my truth. The pitch is the most beautiful part of the game, it gives you emotions which bring meaning to life. So I wouldn’t like a role as Coach, with the day-to-day nature of it.
“I wouldn’t rule out a role as CT: you’d still get the emotion of the pitch but with the time and the freedom to devote to other things.”