Gianluigi Buffon in a conversation with Gerard Piquet remembered the key moments of his long career, admitted why he decided to stay with Juventus even in Serie B, and told about his plans for the future.
Before announcing the departure from Juventus, Gianluigi Buffon met with Gerard Piquet to recall his childhood, the first steps in football, as well as the most memorable and tense moments of professional life.
In addition, Gigi discussed the reasons for the decline of Italian football, admitted why he decided to stay in Juventus even after the departure of the club in Serie B, and talked about plans for the future.
Gerard Pique Gigi, thank you very much for accepting me here at the training base in Turin. I read a lot about you, for example, that you come from a family of athletes. Tell us a little about your parents, your sisters ... Gianluigi Buffon Yes, I have a very athletic family, so from the very childhood I knew which way I would go. Mom and Dad were international athletes. Both my sisters played volleyball in Serie A and for the national team. One of them even won the Champions League, unlike me. So there was only me, the youngest. I saw that everyone in my family was famous athletes, so I also wanted to show what I can do and succeed. I was lucky enough to be in football and become a goalkeeper.
Pique What is your first football memory from childhood?.
Buffon My first memory? I think I was about four years old, it was the 1982 World Cup, where the Italian team celebrated the victory.
Pique I was not even born yet!.
Buffon I was too young to understand what the World Cup is, but I remember how all the adults gathered around the TV and passionately supported the Italian national team. Once I was in the yard playing football, and suddenly I realized that I was having fun with the ball. So during the day I played football, and in the evenings I listened to them shouting for joy or desperation for the national team.
Pique You started in Parma, having played your first match at 17 years against Milan, and did not miss a single goal.
Buffon Yes.
Pique Dream goalkeeper.
Buffon Yes.
Pique What is it like to be such a young player and go out in the starting lineup of such a serious team as Parma, one of the best teams in Italy at that time?.
Buffon Yes, in the mid-90s, somewhere for ten years, Parma was one of the best teams in Europe. For ten years they have won twice the UEFA Cup, the Italian Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. It was a team of the highest level. It was an important match, we were then in the lead in the championship, we had an equal number of points with Milan, for which the great champions were: Badzho, Wea, Savichevich, Maldini. And in my early 17 years I had to play in such a match. In the morning the coach informed me that I would go on the field and I am proud that I did not feel any fear. When they told me that I would play, I was very happy, because it was my chance to show the world who Buffon is, and that he is a good goalkeeper. I remember how the joy overcame the fear of that very important game.
Pique A at age 19, you went to Russia, where he made his debut for the Italian national team.
Buffon Yes. Prior to that, coach Maldini called me on the team five or six times, but I did not go on the field, because other goalkeepers, like Peruzzi and Pagliuca, deserved it more. It was a selection for the World Cup in France. We played against Russia in Moscow. At the 25th minute, Paljuka received a painful blow to the knee and asked for a replacement. I was very enthusiastic, I was not afraid of anything.. But when I saw that he was asking for a replacement, he was not very happy, because the whole field was covered with snow. It was a very important match for the Italian team, the key qualifying game for the World Cup. I started to warm up, and within two minutes I entered the game. But as soon as I entered the field, I immediately focused on my work. The fear left me, and I remained extremely focused for the next hour. Five minutes after my exit, Russia had a great opportunity to score, but I made an excellent save game by jumping left and it helped me to really join the game.
Pique You will go down in history as one of the players who performed at five world championships. This only succeeded three: you, Matthus and.
Buffon Mexican goalkeeper.
Piquet What feelings do you have about this?.
Buffon Pleasant. Sense of pride. It's a long journey and it is necessary to sacrifice much to keep you on top.
Piquet Need to work hard?.
Buffon Yes, it takes not only talent, but also hard work, and sometimes it is necessary and suffer. The fact that only a few of us have played at five world championships can not but rejoice. It was great to win two Mundialya in Europe, one in Asia, one in Africa and one in America.
Piquet Exactly, but I did not pay attention!.
Buffon Yes, I played on all continents. I wanted to go to the sixth world championship, because it would be a really special achievement, but sometimes you need to be satisfied with what is. I do not have the strength to play even on the sixth.
Pique It must be the best moment for all your time for appearances for the Italian team was a victory at the World Championships in Germany in 2006. What do you remember about him? What feelings do you have?.
Buffon For Italians, the entire World Cup in Germany was a special experience, not just a victory. In Germany, there are many Italian immigrants, so we felt as if we were playing at home. I remember many happy moments, celebrations, emotional support from these people. We never felt lonely. I have two great memories: the semi-final we won against Germany in Dortmund ... Pike 2-0.
Buffon Two - zero, but it was one of the most intense moments in my life. When I think about it, it seems to me that no one can withstand such tension, such emotions. In this regard, Germany was horrified, but then we scored twice in overtime and won 2-0. When we arrived at the hotel at five in the morning, there were waiting for us 10 thousand Italian fans.
Pique Incredible.
Buffon Particularly striking is that after the victory over Germany we were completely calm, as if we had already won the World Cup. It was crazy.
Piquet This is very dangerous!.
Buffon Yes!.
Pique When you just go to the finals, and celebrate as if you already won the world championship, this is the worst!.
Buffon Yes, that's it! It was crazy. Twelve years later I look at that French team and see how strong it was. We thought that we had a victory in our pocket, but we were opposed by a very strong team. We were charged with enthusiasm and inspired, believed that we could not resist any obstacles. We got into this spiral: we were a team that was not afraid of anyone and believed that they could beat anyone. To the surprise, the final against France was not as tense as the game against Germany, and it's paradoxical. I remember that on the eve of the game against Germany I slept for about six or seven hours, but before France I managed to sleep only two hours. I remember a certain discomfort, because, as I said, because of all these strong emotions, it was difficult to relax and rest. It's difficult. I clearly remember that after our victory we simply could not feel happy, because we placed too much energy and emotions on the sacrificial altar, so to say. That is why the joy of winning the World Cup came much later than the victory itself.
Pique Then there was South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014, where Italy showed herself not the best way, and at the World Cup 2018 you did not pass. Do you think that Calcio, Italian football, you need to rethink yourself and find a new way to return to the top?.
Buffon I Think. something is wrong. I can not believe that Italy no longer grows such talents as before. When I joined the national team, there were Baggio, Del Piero, Totti, Inzaghi, Montella, Vieri - an unthinkable number of great, talented players. But for the last ten years I see that Italy, although a good team - after all, we are not bad, we are a good team - we do not have such talented players as before. Without players of a certain class it is difficult to succeed, wins. Although over these ten years we have strengthened the sense of community. We can not boast of big victories, but we managed to reach the final of Euro-2012, we performed well in 2016. Our pride helped us achieve more than we could hope.
Pique Do you think that this is also affected by the fact that the Serie A in terms of competitiveness is slightly lower, say, the Premier League or La Liga, and that Juventus is the only team that can win the Champions League?.
Buffon Possible. In your words there may be some truth. But I also believe that there are teams and teams, like France, whose players have always played abroad. In Spain, the same thing, many of your players are playing abroad. Our problem is not in the championship, but in individuals, including players.
Piquet Lack of talent?.
Buffon Yes. Although Serie A may not be that good, but if you continue to grow good players who then go to Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, the level of the national team will remain high. But, in addition to Verrati, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, and those who are in Juventus, we do not have players who are in favor of European top clubs. This is a serious problem.
Pique One of the turning points in your career, speaking of Juventus, was to drop into Serie B for administrative reasons, after which you decided to stay with the club. From the outside it seemed like a gesture of your love for Juventus, but you also took a lot of risk. You could calmly go to another club and fight with him for winning the Champions League, and yet you decided to stay and play in Serie B. What was the period like and do you think that at that time it was the right decision?.
The decision to stay and play in Serie B I took consciously. I believe that sometimes the right moment comes when players need to demonstrate their commitment to fans and sports in general. It was a time when someone like me had to show that the players also have feelings, and that in life there is something more important than popularity and money ... I did it willingly and would do so again. Then we won Series B, it was a merry year. And after two very good seasons, when we occupied the second or third place, came two or three very gloomy years. Juventus was unrecognizable, we lost our spirit, our identity, our work ethic. Then we ended the season in sixth or seventh place, and I said to myself: "Well, why the hell did I agree to this?". But I said it in a whisper, because deep down I am a very positive person, a great optimist. I am convinced that if you work hard and behave yourself well, sooner or later you will receive a reward from life. I always keep it in my mind. Six years later, when we recovered the Scudetto, I was so happy. It was a difficult decision, six very difficult years. When you are used to winning and fighting for all the trophies, and then almost six years without a game in the Champions League ... It was very difficult. But thanks to the efforts we managed to return to the top.
Pique For six years, have you ever thought about leaving? It's amazing that in his 23-year career you played only for two teams and both of them from Italy. Have you thought about leaving Italy and playing abroad?.
Buffon Yes, it would be interesting, because I like meeting new people with a different lifestyle and mentality. It attracts me. But deep inside I'm too Italian. I understand that Italy lacks its shortcomings, including in Calco, but I like the world in which I live, and I smile at him, despite all his shortcomings. That's why, being an important sports person, I never wanted and do not want to leave Italy. I prefer to stay here as long as possible.
Pique You play at a professional level for 23 years and during this time football has changed a lot. Probably one of the most noticeable changes among players in your position is that goalkeepers are increasingly playing with their feet.
Buffon I think this change is useful and necessary, because football is progressing. In addition, it's beautiful and interesting, so it takes less time. Now goalkeepers must play with their feet and perform various tasks, as it is not enough to just reflect the blows, you need to be able to correctly kick the ball and support the combinational game. Now this is more difficult work than before. But the better for me, because once I'm still playing in my 40's, it means I like competing and improving.
Pique A few months ago you said that this season could be your last.
Buffon Yes.
Pique ... but recently I talked with Chiellini and he expressed the opinion that Buffon might not have said his last word. Is there any news on this? Is there any kind of surprise that I do not know about and we will watch Buffon play for another year, maybe two?.
Buffon No surprises. I believe that at my age you need to evaluate the situation month after month, week after week, day after day. Because for athletes like you and me who are used to competing at the highest level, it is important to be able to give all the best, to strive only for the best, to stay on top. It's also important to feel as good as possible in the physical plane, and you also have pride, so you do not want to turn into a loser. I'm Buffon, and I want to stay with him until the last minute. When I stop being myself, I'm gone.. That's why in a few months I will meet with the president, and we will calmly assess the situation. Now I'm very calm. I'm happy when I'm playing, because I like this atmosphere, I play with my friends and I know that I can be of use on the field. When I can not do it anymore, there are no problems. In any case, I had a wonderful career.
Piquet Are you afraid of completing a career? In the end, you play on a professional level more than half your life. Are you afraid to finish your career, leave football and start a new life unknown to yourself?.
Buffon Solgu, if I say that I'm not afraid. But deep down I am calm and peaceful, because by nature I am an extremely inquisitive person. And the day I finish with football, I'm not bored and I'll find what to do with myself. Because for football players and all those who are accustomed to intense life, it is very important to keep busy with your thoughts all the time and have a reason to wake up in the morning, fight for some purpose. That's why I'll never get bored, and for me it will not be a big problem if I leave public life. The only problem is that throughout the 23 years of my life, others have been organizing my organization, each morning I was given a schedule. But when you have 24 free hours and no plans ... this can be a problem.
Pique Perhaps you will stay in football? Is there any post that you would like to take after the player's career is over?.
Buffon I would like to attend various courses, to study for a manager, sports director or coach, and then without haste choose one path and devote yourself completely to him.
Pique Finally, in an interview, you said that thanks to football, it's better as a person. Who would Buffon be if he did not become a football player?.
Buffon I would be worse as a man, undoubtedly. Probably, I would become a physical education teacher, like my parents. To this all went. I always liked to spend time with children and play sports. But I say that football made me better as a person, because I always put the team above everything. It's nice to be part of the team and share with others victories and defeats. It helps you get rid of selfishness. I find it truly beautiful. In life there is nothing better than being an altruist and sharing with others. Popularity has its positive and negative sides. The negative is that when you make a mistake, it immediately gets into TV and newspapers, and they do not cease to remind you of it. They all inflate too much, and at times you tell yourself that you do not deserve this suffering. Therefore, one should try not to give them reasons to attack themselves, to behave better and become a better person. For all these years I have experienced many problem situations, which eventually helped me to become a better person.
Pique As a player, I know that football is better with you..
Buffon Thank you!.
Piquet ...
and it was nice to meet and talk with you. By the way, do you know that when I was 21, I chose between Barca and Juventus? I could share with you one locker room!.
Buffon Really?.
Pique Yes. Thank you very much, Gigi!.
Buffon Thank you!.
Interview: Gerard Pique, The Players' Tribune Translation and adaptation: Football. ua Do you want to learn the main football news first? Subscribe to our channel in Telegram! You can also follow our website in Viber and Twitter.