Gigi Buffon turns 43 tomorrow and is enjoying his football, starting for Juventus against SPAL in tonight’s Coppa Italia, but also relishing Tom Brady comparisons.
The quarter-final kicks off at 19.45 GMT, click here for the line-ups and LIVEBLOG.
The first question inevitably was, how does it feel being on the eve of your 43rd birthday?
Gigi Buffon turns 43 tomorrow and is enjoying his football, starting for Juventus against SPAL in tonight’s Coppa Italia, but also relishing Tom Brady comparisons.
The quarter-final kicks off at 19.45 GMT, click here for the line-ups and LIVEBLOG.
The first question inevitably was, how does it feel being on the eve of your 43rd birthday?
“I’m pretty relaxed, the course of time is inevitable! You have to accept it, go forward with great enthusiasm,” the goalkeeper told RAI Sport.
Buffon was told that quarter-back Tom Brady is also 43 and going into the Superbowl this weekend.
“That’s good to know. It means I am not an exception, we can try to break the taboos and some stereotypes about older athletes.”
Buffon was asked if he will still be playing at Juventus next season.
“I am not even thinking about that! Someone like me at the age of 43 has to just take it one day at a time. I want to celebrate my birthday and that is already an achievement!”
The winners of tonight’s quarter-final will go on to face Inter in the two-legged Coppa Italia semi-final.
“This is an important opportunity to go forward in another competition, to play two games against a team we really respect like Inter, and it’s another chance to measure our ambitions.”
Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic clashed bitterly during last night’s Milan Derby quarter-final.
“These things shouldn’t happen, but when they do, they are part of the tension of a match environment and can break out into words that usually you’d never say. I don’t consider it that bad.”