When we type the name “Gianluigi Buffon” on the search engine page, we will easily find heroic stories about this man born in Carrara, 42 years ago. From the start of his team with Hernan Crespo at Parma, to his story sharing the role of the team captain with Alessandro Del Piero at Juventus. All can easily be found.
But only a few know, that the footballer nicknamed “Superman” had once thought of quitting the world of football when he was only 25 years old. At that time, no one knew, Gigi, his nickname, experienced something that was originally only thought of as ordinary fatigue.
One time, when he was lying on the bed, Buffon felt weak enough to paralyze the legs. He was scared, worried that his legs could no longer walk. Then at the same time, his legs suddenly trembled, like he was experiencing a severe tremor, and he was unable to stop it at all. This incident was revealed in an interview with The Players Tribune. Buffon told how he experienced extraordinary panic at that time and asked for help from the club to find out what he was suffering.
But from a series of medical checks conducted, Buffon was diagnosed with no disease, but something even more alarming: Buffon was declared depressed. He experienced a lot of psychological fatigue in carrying out his daily routine, which then made him feel empty and feel lost something that even he himself did not know.
At his age, Buffon had achieved many successes that he had never imagined before. He did not expect at all, could be at the highest level that fast. Starting a career in Parma, then being able to team up with the idol, Del Piero. What a fantastic achievement.
Euphoria for the sake of euphoria he passed. His publicity and fame skyrocketed. People start to talk a lot about it almost everyday. While at the same time, Buffon lost time for himself, for what he liked. Even more sad, he began to lose direction, to have no purpose in life at all. His days are increasingly empty, his life is lonely when his career is noisy.
Being at Buffon’s level at the time, wasn’t something that was easy to go through. He worked for a club as big as Juve who demanded that he work very hard, be disciplined, and keep the determination to remain excellent. The slightest mistake, can not be tolerated. Buffon is indeed a Superman.
The team of doctors who treated him at the time, had offered anti-depressant drugs to him. But Buffon refused, he did not want to rely on drugs that would only affect his football game. He did not want to not give 100% of his efforts for the club he loved so much. In the end, Buffon prefers steps to deal with his own depression without the help of drugs. Accompanied by a team of doctors and professional psychologists prepared by Juventus, Buffon began to try to get up, recovering his mental condition.
He knew, giving up and quitting the world that brought up his name was not a good solution. He realized, his name began to be known by many people, even began to inspire small children who also want to be like him. He did not want to break the dreams of the little children. One day, at a visit to the Marc Chagall exhibition at the Turin museum, Buffon found a bright spot that became the beginning of a new enlightenment for his life to this day. Precisely in front of a painting called “The Promenade” by Chagall.
Among the many paintings on display at that time, Buffon was silent for a long time with this simple painting. His heart trembled, as if someone was hugging him from behind. Warm, but not to make it sweat. He also shed tears at that time. Buffon began to understand, that he had lost too many simple things in his life. Little things, like watching movies, lingering in the bathroom, singing, or even what he didn’t have time to do at all, complained.
He loses time to tell the things that he experienced, about what he was doing, the middle he feels. The daily routine takes everything from the Superman. He not only lost time, he also lost his interlocutor. He was drowned by the lonely sea that was choking him so deep. Buffon suffered greatly at the time, but ironically. He carried it alone.
The world certainly does not want to know about what is happening to Buffon. Some people just want to hear great stories about him, while some others, waiting for the Superman to fall, fail, then admit defeat. But like a Superman, Buffon chose not to give up. He rose and struggled to recover himself. Until then the moment of failure to anticipate Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty kick, in his first Champions League final against AC Milan, made him return to find what he had to pursue and fight for.
True, his failure that night, precisely made the Superman rediscover the goals of his life that had been lost. Of the many things he has managed to achieve, there is still one more trophy that he has yet to taste. Champions League trophy.
But whether or not Buffon won this trophy is not something that matters anymore. Because in life, there are things that we cannot achieve forever and we must give up, no matter how hard we fight for them. Because from there, we learn and mature in dealing with things that do not go as desired.
And the passion to enjoy life by struggling, striving for goals like this, makes Buffon one of the few footballers who remains number one, when many other footballers give up by age. Thank you for continuing to fight to this day, Superman!
ASL
