Buffon dreams of Champions League triumph with Juve
Juventus and Italy keeper Gigi Buffon has won several titles and trophies in his career, but the one trophy he craves the most – the Champions League - still eludes him.
In his glorious career, Buffon has won seven Serie A titles, one Serie B championship, three Coppa Italia triumphs, six Supercoppa wins and two Champions League runners-up medals.
Despite all the accomplishments and personal accolades, there remains a burning sense of disappointment for a perfectionist, desperate to cap a sparkling career with the one honour that’s so far eluded him.
He says: “Nothing would be more beautiful than winning something that we have failed in many times. Especially for those people who have experienced important moments in the Bianconeri’s history.”
The veteran has been at Italy’s most successful side since 2001.
Buffon has a trophy haul matched by few, but will be remembered more fondly for his loyalty to Juventus in 2006, which saw the Bianconeri embroiled in Calciopoli and subsequently demoted to Serie B.
Along with the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet, the stopper sacrificed a year of his career and forfeited at least two seasons of Champions League football, at a time when domestic counterparts AC Milan were thriving on the European stage.
Buffon, however, remained loyal to Juventus and helped them to secure immediate promotion back to the top flight.
AC Milan were also the source of Juventus and Buffon’s heartache in the final four years previously, as the teams met in a match eventually settled by penalties.
While the stopper will have no regrets turning down a lucrative move, it must be acknowledged how Milan have uniquely impacted on his career, both denying him in the 2003 showpiece, but also as the side who offered him the golden opportunity to accomplish his last goal.
Buffon’s second shot at glory came against Barcelona in June 2015. On this occasion, Juventus came up against the irresistible front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, and while his teammates put up a respectable fight, there was ultimately only one winner.
This campaign, the Bianconeri have achieved qualification as the top team in their group and are paired with Porto in the Round of 16.
It has now become evident that Juventus no longer have the inferiority complex that former coach Antonio Conte alluded to. The former boss often struggled in Europe, managing only a quarter-final and group stage exit.
Current boss Max Allegri has led the side to be considered as a favourite for this year’s tournament and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Gianluigi Buffon held aloft his holy grail on June 3 in Cardiff.