Buffon '99.9 percent certain' over retirement

Dom Farrell

Buffon '99.9 percent certain' over retirement image

Juventus great Gianluigi Buffon is "99.9 percent" certain next season will be his last in professional football.

The veteran Italy goalkeeper helped Juve to a third consecutive domestic double and the Champions League final last term.

Buffon condemns Juve haters

Buffon, 39, has previously stated his intention to retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup in Russia but it now appears that tournament will be the last act of a stellar career.

"I'm 99.9 percent certain of retirement," he told Sky Sport 24.

"I'm going to have one final, intense season, rich in big moments, and then it will be time to say enough is enough."

Real Madrid inflicted Champions League final heartache on Buffon and his colleagues, and winning European football's big prize next time around is the only thing that could convince the former Parma keeper to soldier on.

"We've just left one small possibility open with the president [Juventus chief Andrea Agnelli]," Buffon added.

"That is if we manage to win the Champions League I will carry on playing one more year to try to win the Club World Cup and other trophies."

Although the Champions League has proved tantalisingly elusive, Buffon has eight Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia to his name, along with the 1998-99 UEFA Cup and 2006 World Cup.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.