Gigi Buffon insists he “needs to prove myself worthy” every time, discussed how Juventus have changed and said Paulo Dybala is “in the world’s top five players.”
Dybala got two early goals and Giorgio Chiellini added a third in the Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over Barcelona.
When it was still 1-0 and moments before the second goal, Buffon performed a stunning save on Andres Iniesta.
Gigi Buffon insists he “needs to prove myself worthy” every time, discussed how Juventus have changed and said Paulo Dybala is “in the world’s top five players.”
Dybala got two early goals and Giorgio Chiellini added a third in the Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over Barcelona.
When it was still 1-0 and moments before the second goal, Buffon performed a stunning save on Andres Iniesta.
“Saint Gigi? No, I play for a top team and with the support I get from my teammates, I need to prove every game that I am still worthy of my place in the line-up,” Buffon told Mediaset Premium.
“It was an important save considering the moment, also a difficult one, as it was an issue of thousandths of a second. If I have the ambition of being considered still a great goalkeeper, I need to do these things.
“We look towards the second leg with a positive view. This 3-0 was not casual. It means we are here, we had no reverence or fear for Barcelona, we played with our qualities.
“However, the tie with Paris Saint-Germain means we need to still be very cautious. We are satisfied tonight, but know full well we have not yet qualified for the next round.”
How have Juventus changed since they lost the 2015 Champions League Final 3-1 to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona?
“Since 2015 we have more belief, we are more at ease with the ball and with certain environments, whereas in the past we were almost a little nervous against some teams.
“Barcelona remain the strongest team out there, in my view, so if they want to, they can win every trophy. Fortunately a team sport has different elements and situations that can change a game or a tie.”
Finally, Buffon had advice for his young teammate Dybala after this brace.
“Dybala has grown exponentially over the last two years. When I talk to directors or friends in football, I’ve been saying for a while that he is good enough to be in the top five players in the world and wouldn’t be out of place in the top three.
“Having said that, he needs to prove it every time and with regularity, to show he is worthy of our expectations of him.”