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Gianluigi Buffon has announced his intention to leave Juventus at the end of the season.
The 40-year-old confirmed his decision to leave the club at the end of the season, bringing an end to a trophy-laden career in Turin.
However, while he had been expected to announce his decision to retire from football altogether (and he may yet stil decide to do so), Buffon claims that he has offers to extend his playing career elsewhere next season.
Both he and Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli attended a press conference on Thursday morning to announce the news that Saturday’s Serie A clash with Verona, with the Scudetto already in the bag, will be the Italian international’s last game with the Bianconeri.
Agnelli also confirmed that former Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny will be promoted to the club’s number one goalkeeper next season, having served as Buffon’s understudy in this campaign:
? Agnelli: “What we now know is that @13Szczesny13 will be defending our goal next season, as @gianluigibuffon and so many champions have done before him.”
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 17, 2018
? Agnelli: “@gianluigibuffon has been with us all the way on this long rollercoaster ride of a journey, with its lows and then the return to Paradise. We will be forever grateful for his loyalty.”
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 17, 2018
? @gianluigibuffon: “A big thank you to the president for his kind words. It’s a very emotional day for me and I’m here off the back of an extraordinary and wonderful journey, shared with people who have cared about me greatly. For that, I have always tried to do my best.”
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 17, 2018
Buffon joined Juve from Parma in 2001 for €52m, a world record for a goalkeeper that still stands to this day. He went on to become a Juventus legend over the course of his 17 seasons at the club, even staying with them upon their demotion to Serie B in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal in 2006.
In all, he made over 650 appearances for Juve, winning nine Serie A titles. He also won four Italian Cups, and reached three Champions League finals, finishing on the losing side on all three occasions.
In summary: Gianluigi Buffon may or be not be retiring at the end of the season, but he is definitely leaving Juventus.
