Gianluigi Buffon bids farewell to Juventus fans (Video)

Gianluigi Buffon played his final match for Juventus on Saturday, bidding an emotional goodbye to the fans.

Gianluigi Buffon announced earlier this week he would leave Juventus at the end of the season. The keeper played his final game, against Verona, on Saturday, where he bid an emotional goodbye to the Bianconeri fans who have been supporting him since 2001.

With Juve having already wrapped up the title, the match was above all a chance for the club to say farewell to one of their greatest players. Buffon played over 500 times for the Old Lady, winning 11 scudettos (two of which were revoked due to the calciopoli scandal) and four Coppa Italias.

The question now is what’s next. The assumption had been that Buffon, 40, would retire at the end of the season, but he said in a press conference this week that he had received some interesting offers that might tempt him to play on.

https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/997820721383518208

ESPN reported on Thursday that Paris Saint-Germain had offered Buffon a two-year deal. Given PSG’s struggles in the Champions League, partly as a result of a lack of poise on the biggest stage, Buffon could be a useful addition, although he’s never won the competition himself.

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Wherever he ends up, his experience and the respect he commands throughout the game will be an asset. And if this is his final season, he can look back on one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport.

Juventus beat Verona 2-0, and Massimiliano Allegri took Buffon off after an hour to give the fans and players a chance to pay their respects. The Juve captain was clearly emotional as he left the pitch to a standing ovation.