Buffon is after the one that got away
JUVENTUS goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon knows he can’t afford to let another Champions League chance slip from his grasp.
The best shot-stopper of his generation has a medal collection to reflect a glorious career but continental silver is a glaring omission.
Buffon is the sole survivor of the Juventus side that lost the 2003 final to AC Milan and feared his last chance of Champions League glory had gone after suffering the same fate against Barcelona two years ago.
But, at 39, the World Cup winner has a chance to win the trophy of his dreams when Massimiliano Allegri’s side face holders Real Madrid under the roof in Cardiff.
Buffon said: “The emotions I feel might be different to any other guy who is younger than me or a player like Dani Alves.
“Dani has already won this competition and has at least four or five years ahead of him in his career
“I have to exclude this possibility as far as I am concerned, so, yes, it will be much more special for me.
“But at the same time, I want to play this game without regrets and without thinking of these issues.
“That is my moral imperative for this game and I hope I can manage to do it because our team is very compact and based on collaboration.
“If I play well, I’ll be able to help my team, so this would be the greatest gift I could give my team-mates.
“When you get to this stage, you know well how you arrived here and all the effort that you have had to put into your work.
“There’s nothing better in life than to obtain a reward after working so hard and sweating to get it.
“There’s nothing better than sharing this prize with your team-mates, with a group of people that you’ve worked with for months and months.”