Gigi Buffon jokes about his UEFA Presidents’ Award, the new Champions League format and discusses what Italy must change after their unacceptable EURO 2024 debacle.
The now retired goalkeeper was given the 2024 edition of the UEFA Presidents’ Award, chosen by Aleksandar Ceferin as a lifetime achievement reward.
“It’s a lovely recognition, because if someone spends 29 years on the football pitch, he wonders if people actually notice things or not. You have to end your career to realise people noticed you!” laughed Buffon on Sky Sport Italia.
“It is very satisfying. I was joking, but not so much, that if I’d known earlier how many awards I would receive after retiring, I’d have quit earlier!”
He also showed off some acting skills in the video used to explain the new Champions League format, which has a League Phase now rather than the old individual groups, all the results going into one big table.
“I like it, it’s stimulating, after a few years it’s nice to provide some new input for the players, clubs and fans. In order to give a definitive verdict, we’ll have to wait until the season is completed, but I am currently very happy about it.”
Italy role a tough test for Buffon
Buffon has won everything in his career other than the Champions League, but was a key figure in the 2006 World Cup triumph.
He was part of Luciano Spalletti’s staff for the dismal EURO 2024 campaign and was asked by Fabio Capello in the Sky Sport Italia studio why the attitude and desire to win was so lacking from the squad this summer?
“It’s a pertinent question. I think when everything around you is moving, you must have the strength to stand still and analyse the situation. Over the last two months, I have done that,” replied Buffon.
“I don’t feel we were as weak as the media made it look. In the last four-five years, we’ve had a dozen players who have gone all the way in the Champions League, or Europa League, or Conference League, or won the Euros in 2021.
“If you have 12-15 players of that calibre, it means you are not a modest Nazionale. You are strong. We also got the best coach who was available on the market. It is sad to see what happened in the final match, because you can lose in the Round of 16 against a top team or even this Switzerland, but it’s the way we lost that was wrong.
“Sometimes we get stuck in discussion about tactics, but we need to give these players 100 per cent on an emotional level, because I think in that game we were missing on an emotional level.”
Italy are about to begin their new era in the Nations League, starting against France on September 6, then Israel on September 9 and Belgium on October 10.
Has Buffon talked with Spalletti about enacting a revolution on the squad that crashed out in EURO 2024?
“I don’t know about a revolution, we talked with the coach and the general idea is to continue a block of the players who have quality. There’s no denying it. But we must try to give these players a sense of responsibility, that they represent the country. It is also my fault that I was unable to transmit that to the players and I take that blame.”
The media also continually says that young players need to be given a chance, yet Italians like Francesco Camarda and Edoardo Bove are struggling to get any time on the pitch.
“It’s not just about young or old, but good or not good. I saw Spain play Jesus Navas, who is 38 years old, in the Euros and that is unthinkable,” concluded Buffon.
“He was considered functional to that project, which is focused on youth. Because it’s not about ‘make space for youth’, it’s make space for those who are strong and who deserve to play.”