Gianluigi Buffon. Photo by Matt McNulty/JMP/REX/Shutterstock (9475042o)
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon answered critics after he reversed his decision to retire from international football.
The 40-year-old had been hoping to retire after the 2018 world cup but ended his career after the Italians failed to qualify for the event after falling to a 1-0 aggregate defeat against Sweden during the playoffs.After reversing his decision to retire from the national team duty, Buffon has subsequently been retained as national team captain by interim boss Luigi Di Biagio and will lead the side during their friendly internationals against Argentina and England.Buffon who won the 2006 world cup and who holds a European record 175 national team appearances said: “I"ve nothing to add to what has been said. Everyone knows the truth. My role in the squad has always been positive and I"ve always brought people together. I"ve always put us before me. I"m not here to showcase, to show myself off. I can still be useful. I might be 40 but I"m the goalkeeper of Juventus. Italy is a funny country where people enjoy controversy but any controversy about me is just sensationalism. After a while, all this controversy will just fall away.”
