Gianluigi Buffon, the former Italy custodian, has declared the end of his illustrious career.
The 45-year-old quits following a distinguished career with the four-time World Cup champions as well as great teams like Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
With Italy, Buffon was instrumental in their World Cup victory in 2006, which was held in Germany.
“That’s all folks. You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together,” he wrote on social media.
THAT’S ALL FOLKS!
YOU GAVE ME EVERYTHING.
I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING.
WE DID IT TOGETHER. PIC.TWITTER.COM/BGVIDSOFSG
— GIANLUIGI BUFFON (@GIANLUIGIBUFFON) AUGUST 2, 2023
He began his career at the Parma Academy before making his Serie A debut in November 1995. In 2001, he joined Juventus for a fee of £32.6 million, a then-world record for a custodian.
Buffon won the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, and UEFA Cup with Parma in 1999.
With Juventus, he won 10 Serie A crowns and five Coppa Italias, as well as six Supercoppas.
Buffon previously played for Paris St-Germain in the French Ligue 1, where he won the league title and the Trophée des Champions in 2018.
The Italian hero also holds the record for being the most capped custodian of all time, with 176 appearances for Azzurre, as well as the player with the most appearances in the Italian first division, with 657.