Gianluigi Buffon introduced his retirement from soccer on Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a wonderful profession as one of many world’s biggest ever goalkeepers. “That’s all folks! You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together,” he posted in English on social media. Buffon, 45, hangs up his gloves after two closing years at Parma, the membership the place all of it started almost three many years in the past when Italian soccer was Europe’s gold normal. He had a contract which ran till subsequent summer season with Parma however he’ll now not be part of the Serie B membership’s bid to return to the highest flight after two years away.

Buffon is a logo of a halcyon age when the most effective footballers went to play in Serie A and Italy developed dozens of world class gamers.

The former Italy captain has a document 176 caps for his nation whereas additionally holding the document for Serie A matches performed — 657, stretching again to 1995.

After bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old, conserving out the likes of George Weah and Roberto Baggio in his Parma debut in opposition to AC Milan, Buffon gained 27 main trophies.

The majority came visiting 19 seasons at Juventus, the place he gained 10 Serie A titles, 5 Italian Cups, whereas he additionally gained the UEFA Cup in 1999 for Parma as a part of presumably the most effective staff within the membership’s historical past.

He additionally gained Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 earlier than returning to Juve, however he will probably be most fondly remembered for Italy’s victory on the 2006 World Cup.

Buffon was one of many stars as an Azzurri staff battered by the ‘Calciopoli’ match-fixing scandal — which might price him as Juve keeper two league titles — beat France on penalties after knocking out hosts Germany within the semi-finals.

That was the final hurrah for a technology which had made Italy one of many world’s dominant soccer nations, and as their fortunes slowly declined he suffered the ignominy of two straight group stage exits earlier than bowing out not lengthy after failure to qualify for the 2018 event.

Buffon gained his final trophy in his closing season with Juve two years in the past, lifting the Italian Cup alongside Federico Chiesa, 22 years after he triumphed with Parma alongside his teammate’s father Enrico.

‘I should not have apologised’

However Buffon’s profession has additionally been stricken by scandal, not least constant rumours that’s, or at the very least as soon as was, a sympathiser of the far-right.

He drew fierce criticism for selecting the quantity 88, a neo-Nazi code for ‘Heil Hitler’, on his jersey for the 2000-01 season.

Two years earlier than he wore a t-shirt with the neo-fascist slogan ‘Boia chi molla’, which loosely translated means loss of life earlier than give up, beneath his package for a match in opposition to Lazio, who’ve a few of Europe’s most hard-right supporters.

He publicly apologised for the t-shirt, claiming he had no thought of the supply of the phrase, however in his 2010 e book ‘Number One’ he stated that he was nonetheless shocked at how he was “crucified”.

Buffon additionally claimed he selected the quantity 88 as a result of he wasn’t allowed 00, which he needed to characterize “balls”, as a logo of his comeback from a interval out injured, and that 88 was merely 4 balls.

He modified his quantity to 77 however in his e book he expressed outrage on the criticism he obtained from Rome’s Jewish Community, saying his solely mistake was “being weak”.

“I shouldn’t have apologised and I should have pushed to keep the number I had already chosen,” he stated.

Not lengthy after successful the World Cup he was cleared of illegally betting on Serie A matches, allegations which reared their head on the top of the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)