Italian football has suffered a decline, admits Azzurri captain Gigi Buffon, and the goalkeeper sees no future Ballon d’Or winners in Serie A.
Juventus’ French midfielder Paul Pogba was Serie A’s sole representative on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, with no Italian players making the cut.
Buffon, who finished second to Fabio Cannavaro in the 2006 Ballon d’Or voting admits that the Italian game has declined since then, and doesn’t see any future winners of the award among the next generation.
Italian football has suffered a decline, admits Azzurri captain Gigi Buffon, and the goalkeeper sees no future Ballon d’Or winners in Serie A.
Juventus’ French midfielder Paul Pogba was Serie A’s sole representative on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, with no Italian players making the cut.
Buffon, who finished second to Fabio Cannavaro in the 2006 Ballon d’Or voting admits that the Italian game has declined since then, and doesn’t see any future winners of the award among the next generation.
“I don’t know if we have a young, talented player coming through who can aspire to win this sort of award in the future,” Buffon lamented to FIFA’s official website.
“There is no Italian among the candidates for this year’s award because we are coming off a very disappointing World Cup and our clubs haven’t challenged for the highest honours for quite a few years.
“Either we improve the national team or our football will remain ordinary, and it will be impossible to stand out.
“The fact that no Italian has been nominated forces us to understand the situation our football is currently in, and confirms that the technical and individual quality of our players has declined.”
However, the Juventus captain doesn’t think the decline in calcio’s fortunes is terminal, and backs the Italian game to return to the top.
“As in any area of life, sport goes in cycles.
“This is perhaps a low point for Italy, but the country’s history carries a lot of weight, and Italian football has always managed to combine technique with tactical discipline.
“By putting an emphasis on these qualities, I think we will soon start to grow again.”