Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said he did not want to win the Champions League by beating Juventus in the final round. Having bid farewell to the Bianconeri over the summer after 17 years, the iconic goalkeeper is hoping their paths will not cross again in Europe.
The Champions League title is a prestigious trophy that Buffon hasn’t gotten in his career as a soccer player. He has three chances to be a champion with Juventus (2003, 2015, 2017), but all of them culminate in a runner-up result.
After deciding to move to PSG at the start of this season, Buffon continues to save hope to become a Champions League champion. However, Buffon hopes he will not meet Juventus at the top of the party.
“PSG-Juventus in the Champions League final? No, because I don’t want my excitement to lead to tears from former teammates and Juventus supporters. I want to get absolute excitement.”
“If I have to meet Juventus, it’s certainly better to meet before the final. Juventus itself is one of the three favorite teams in the Champions League,” Buffon was quoted as saying by Calciomercato.
Buffon’s departure from Juventus itself is a big surprise. Initially, Buffon was predicted to retire as soon as he finished his career at Juventus but apparently he wanted to try out a new adventure with PSG.
“Which is more strange to imagine Juventus winning without Buffon or Buffon winning without Juventus? Surely Buffon (who won) without Juventus will feel even stranger because Juventus history is far greater than mine.”
“Juventus can win without Buffon (and that’s not strange),” Buffon said.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper himself admitted he did not regret his departure from Juventus to PSG.
“Regret from Juventus? No, not at all. The club and I both planned together, for a long time, a farewell that made my trip closed perfectly.”
“My trip to Juventus has been closed with satisfaction from all parties,” said the former Parma player.
Juventus have got off to a great start in the competition, winning two from two so far and are on course to top their group, but face Manchester United twice in their next two outings. PSG on the other hand have some work to do after losing their opening match at Anfield. They bounced back with a win against Red Star Belgrade but face a tough test against Napoli next week.
