Gianluigi Buffon ended his 17-year
Juventus career as they crowned a seventh straight Italian title with a
2-1 win over relegated Verona yesterday. The 40-year-old keeper was
substituted just after the hour, and was in tears as he embraced his
team-mates while the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
He did a lap of
honour while the match continued in Turin, accepting gifts and
congratulations from fans.
Daniele Rugani and Miralem Pjanic scored
for Juve in a comfortable win. Alessio Cerci pulled a goal back after
Buffon had been replaced by Carlo Pinsoglio, but Verona rarely
threatened to ruin the send-off at the Allianz Stadium.
Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner –
also playing his final game for Juventus – could have increased the
advantage, but his late penalty was excellently saved by Nicolas
Andrade.
Buffon, who is considering offers for
new roles both on and off the pitch, was cheered every time he touched
of the ball by the home supporters – and for long periods when he was
nowhere near it.
Before kick-off, the Italian was greeted
onto the pitch with a banner bearing his face. He then mingled with
fans, accepting congratulations and gifts from the Curva Sud. His
team-mates wore the hashtag #un1co on their sleeves, pointing to the
social media tributes that have flowed since he confirmed the end of his
Juventus career on Thursday.
Buffon’s one moment of concern came when
Douglas Costa’s loose pass let Ryder Matos in on goal. The goalkeeper
rushed out and appeared to collide with the Brazilian as the ball was
touched beyond him – but referee Ricardo Pinzani decided against
awarding a penalty or reviewing the incident via the video assistant
referee.
His latest success takes his tally of Serie A titles to nine.
He also has one from Italy’s second tier
after he remained with the Turin side in the wake of their enforced
relegation over the match-fixing scandal of 2006. The previous best was
eight won by Giovanni Ferrari with Juventus, Inter Milan and Bologna
between 1930 and 1941. Buffon is rumoured to have been offered a playing
deal with French champions Paris St-Germain, as well as an off-field
role with Juventus.
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