Gianluigi Buffon explained his decision to leave PSG and options going forward. “I am in search of emotions. If I lack the drive I’m looking for, I might gift myself a year of learning.”
The goalkeeper is considering his next career move, having turned down a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain after one season in France.
“The other day, I read a phrase that I really liked,” he told the Corriere dello Sport.
“Francesco Guidolin was asked if he’d be happy to return to Verona and he replied: ‘It’s emotions I am seeking.’ I’ll tell you the truth, I too am in search of emotions.
“PSG had already told me five months ago that at the end of the season, I’d be given the role of second choice goalkeeper. Since January, I had plenty of time to think about it and came to the conclusion that was not for me, so I gave up on a lot of money and the option for another year.
“Their request was absolutely legitimate, understandable and the offer was enticing. However, at the age of 41, I have this almost physiological need to feel sensations. Emotions translate to energy, dreams, feeling yourself a part of something. It is also a choice that will never conflict with my past at Juventus.
“I find myself now exactly like last summer, in an extraordinary condition of calm, a state of total relax where everything is open to me and it could all end in 12 months or in 15 days.
“I have received some nice proposals, but if I lack the drive that I’m looking for, then I might gift myself a year just for me, all mine. A year of learning.
“I’d like to attend the coaching school, maybe study to be a director of sport, or even business school, I’d like to improve my English skills. I want to get the skills I need to keep all options open in future.
“I want to be clear, the experience in Paris was exceptional in every way. It had only one negative: it took time away from my wife and children, but I’ll have time to make up for that.”
Buffon is a living legend, but some have turned against him on social media and suggest it’s time he hangs up his gloves.
“I’m not that bothered. The people I meet in the street, above all abroad, but also in Italy, fill me with affection and respect that at times can even seem excessive.
“As I repeat often, I spent the first 15 years trying to ruin my image and the next 10 trying to make up for it.”