The former Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has retired from football at the age of 45, after 28 years in which he reached exceptional milestones for club and country. Buffon, who in 2006 lifted the World Cup, won 10 Serie A titles with Juventus and a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain.
“That’s all folks!” Buffon said. “You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest keepers of all-time, he ended his career where he started, at Parma, who are in the Italian second tier, having struggled with injuries in his final season.
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Buffon joined Juve from Parma in 2001 and spent most of his career with the club, except for a season at PSG in 2018-19, before returning to Turin and then to Parma in June 2021. He played 176 times for Italy.
Buffon began his career in Parma’s youth system in 1991 aged 13, initially playing in midfield before adapting to the role of goalkeeper because of his height and physical attributes. He made his Serie A debut for Parma in a goalless draw against Milan in November 1995 at the age of 17.
Buffon played a record 657 times in the Italian top flight and is the most-capped male goalkeeper of all time. He retired from international football in 2018 after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.