Gigi Buffon, former Juventus captain, was a guest at the Trento Sports Festival. The current Parma goalkeeper has touched on many topics, but has decided to start from Federer’s imminent retirement:
“The criticisms? They are a gasoline, especially in old age. As a boy, on the other hand, they hurt and risk destabilizing you. When you are mature and you know what you are worth, criticism becomes an incentive. Sometimes I needed it. For example: when I played well I didn’t read the newspapers, because maybe they took me out of balance. When it went wrong, I liked criticism, knowing who it came from also for, obviously in quotes, to hate him. The perfect parade? Those who look inattentively or as a layman fail to perceive the importance of saves or exits that seem obvious. Sometimes I think back to my teammates thanks to whom I beat the unbeaten record against Torino. In a team, a goalkeeper with a call, an attitude, a word, can help the group. They have a fundamental importance that maybe not everyone can understand. Could I have been more diplomatic in life? No, maybe at a young age I made mistakes. Even if in the end they served me. I have always taken on the responsibilities, paying them personally. And they leave their marks because they hurt. Some things I would not do again, but from the age of 30 onwards everything I have done and said I would do it again. In those moments I felt like doing so. Maybe now I could react differently. Parma? A romantic story. It is a dimension that I like, it reflects who I am and myself. It makes me feel good. Sometimes when I’m with the guys in the locker room I have a lot of fun. Sometimes I’m stupid, not the teacher (laughs). In my opinion they were surprised, because maybe they expected another attitude. I talk to them, I joke, and in the end the normality is the true transgression of the person. And in the norm with my teammates I am fine, even better. Chiellini? I miss it, we have shared so much of life. Him like others. Sharing is the great thing about team sport. With the historic block of Juve we have grown together in everything: mentality, ability “.
Buffon also focused on Juventus: “What do you want me to say? I can’t say anything because at this moment every word risks having a polemical meaning and I don’t like it. Even when I was there, sometimes we got off to a bad start, then we reached the top. A question of the DNA of the team and of the individuals. Not everyone can have the DNA of Juventus, a club with a clear idea and an equally clear imprinting. Maignan? When I returned from Paris to Juve they asked me about goalkeepers. of Maignan of Lille, but no one considered. I was wondering why. When Milan took him I sent a message to Maldini, saying that few believed in him but that they had taken on a great goalkeeper.”
Full credit to TuttoMercatoWeb and TuttoJuve for the full interview and translation.
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