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gianluigi buffon neuer (1)

THE GOALKEEPER 'PASSED' OFF SIGNING FOR BARÇA

The goalkeeping legend who could have signed for FC Barcelona

Published:19/11/2024 - 17:22h

Updated:20/11/2024 - 04:37h

Gianluigi Buffon confessed that he could have signed for Barça before signing his return to Parma in 2021

Calendar of FC Barcelona

Gianluigi Buffon, a legend of Italian and world football, gave an interview to 'Corriere della Sera' as part of the presentation of his autobiography 'Falling, getting up, falling, getting up'. The former goalkeeper of teams such as Juventus or PSG, in addition to reviewing some details of his career, spoke about the possibility of playing for FC Barcelona after finishing his time in Turin.

"President Gravina offered me a farewell match, but I didn't want to. Gasperini wrote to me that with him at Atalanta we would have won the Champions League, but Pirlo convinced me to stay at Juve. Then, I had an offer from Barça as second goalkeeper, and I liked the idea of ​​playing with Messi after Cristiano," confessed 'Gigi'.

Buffon rejected the offer from Barça

However, Buffon decided to 'pass' on the Barça proposal for a curious reason. "One day I was driving and on the radio came a song that I love and that I hadn't heard for 10 years, 'Bella' by Jovanotti. I looked up and saw the toll booth at Parma. It was a sign: closing where it all began," he recalled.

Thus, the historic Italian goalkeeper headed to the Ennio Tardini 20 years after his departure to end a successful career in which he won, among other things, the 2006 World Cup with the 'azzurri', rejecting the opportunity to play at a Spotify Camp Nou that would have loved to enjoy a true goalkeeping legend.