Juventus and Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon explains “as long as I want to suffer, to fight, I’ll continue”.
The 40-year-old had been planning to retire after the 2018 World Cup, but there have been indications that he’s changed his mind after the Azzurri failed to qualify.
“Motivation is everything,” Buffon said at an event in Serralunga d’Alba.
Juventus and Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon explains “as long as I want to suffer, to fight, I’ll continue”.
The 40-year-old had been planning to retire after the 2018 World Cup, but there have been indications that he’s changed his mind after the Azzurri failed to qualify.
“Motivation is everything,” Buffon said at an event in Serralunga d’Alba.
“As long as I want to suffer, to fight, I’ll continue. After the passion that motivated me in my first years, I set myself the goal of having a challenge, to always fight for a bigger objective.
“I’ll need to see – together with the club – what energy level I’ll have and whether I can continue or not.
“What makes me happy is the fact that, whatever my future will be, I feel very serene and gratified for what my career has been, and for what I think I’ve given to Juventus, Parma, the national team and all of football.
“I know I have always worked with extreme seriousness and unselfishness, putting the good of the group ahead of my own.”
Last week saw Buffon and some of his teammates attend Davide Astori’s funeral, with the Fiorentina fans applauding their bitter rivals as they arrived.
“Going to Florence is never simple for Juventus. But on our arrival for the last farewell to Davide we saw the Viola fans applauding us and thanking us. It was very beautiful.
“Our presence made them feel less alone and that made me proud. I went through that day in a very intense way.
“It was my last goodbye, not to a great friend of mine but to one of the most beautiful people I came across in this sport.
“I could feel the purity of his thoughts and his soul, he was someone who could calmly and quietly make himself appreciated by everyone and have his own identity.
“He knew clearly who he he was and his morality. He was an exceptional lad, an antidote and I’m glad his name and the perception of him have been exalted this week.
“Davide deserved it.”