JUVENTUS and Italy great Gianluigi Buffon has admitted that he thought about retiring from the game before his club side rolled over Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Old Lady beat the Spanish giants 3-0 in the first leg in Turin before holding on for a resilient 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp, with 39-year-old Buffon keeping a remarkable two clean sheets over both ties.
And Buffon – who has played for Juve since 2001 – has said that made a promise to himself that he would bow out at the top, if he did not concede against the likes of Lionel Messi.
‘I said that if I could not concede a single goal over both legs of the tie against Barcelona, it would be the right thing to retire from the game in June – and I said that to [Juventus president, Giovanni] Agnelli’, Buffon told Sky Sport.
However, Buffon admitted that he took Agnelli’s advice, who simply responded: ‘Sometimes people talk a lot of nonsense; don’t worry about anything and keep looking forward.’
Juve are to take on Leonardo Jardim’s high-flying Ligue 1 side Monaco in the Champions League semi-finals, with the first leg on Wednesday at the Stade Louis II and the second on May 9 at the Juventus Stadium.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men are nine points clear at the top of the Serie A table with four games to play, and their next league game is a local derby at home to Torino on Saturday.
Buffon – who began his career with Parma in 1995 – has made 168 appearances for his country since making his international debut in 1997.
SOURCE: DAILYMAIL
