How old is gigi buffon

Legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has returned to his boyhood club Parma on a two-year deal after a year absence. The year old said in May that he would leave Juventus at the end of the season following the expiry of his contract in June.

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Blazers' Damian Lillard out vs. Nuggets on Sunday with abdominal injury. Trail Blazers' Neil Olshey to be interviewed next week amid investigation: Source. Log In. Real Time. Top News. Gianluigi Buffon returns to Parma after year absence. The World Cup winner is still not ready to retire and will play the season in Serie B. The legendary goalkeeper was 17 years, nine months and 22 days old when he made is debut for Parma in November , as a product of the Ducali youth academy.

From then on, Buffon played for six years with Parma between and winning the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and famously the UEFA Cup before leaving for Juventus, where he became a global soccer icon. The idea of returning to the Parma came after Juventus played against the Ducali in the Italian league, when Buffon chatted with Parma president, Iowa-based businnessman Kyle Klause.

I had two opportunities to even win the Champions League, but not as a protagonist. We are going to bring this legendary club back to its rightful place. Buffon's return is another validation of that ambition. It's a really special moment for all of us," said Kyle Krause, who bought Parma in September With the return of Buffon, the American-owned club hopes to climb its way back into Serie A next season.

It's something I wanted badly Buffon is now 43 years old. He backed up Wojciech Szczesny at Juventus the past two seasons, but still managed to start 29 matches over that span -- enough of a sample size to know that he can still contribute on the pitch. Sure, goalkeepers have more longevity, but Buffon has gone way past that.

Get instant access. Buffon has been asked about his longevity for many years, offering the stock answers you might expect. Professionalism, taking care of his body, luck in avoiding major injuries, enthusiasm, good genes, desire -- all of these things are likely true for elite athletes who perform beyond their years.

But Buffon goes beyond that, citing examples of how you can use age to actually improve. I began to realize that if you're serious about it, you do things the right way and you're in the right mental frame, you'll never stop learning and bettering yourself. Obviously, I will have declined in others -- that's normal -- but overall, when I look at myself objectively, I don't feel that I'm worse than I was six or seven years ago.

Everybody knows what age does to us. At a certain point, you lose muscle mass, strength, agility, your recovery time gets longer: all these things come along together. But that is only part of being a goalkeeper. Buffon cites experience, mental strength and the ability to read a game, all of which makes sense. But there are others, too. I was fine with that, because I was very confident on my right. My left was OK, but I'd really only use it to clear the ball or to hit a short pass -- never to actually pass it long or accurately.

I genuinely believe that through repetition, serious training and muscle memory, all with the right mindset, almost nothing is impossible for a human being. Back to Parma. The 15 or so years after that would see the club go bankrupt, two owners face prison time in separate cases and Parma be reformed in the amateur ranks.

A year ago, they were bought by Iowa businessman Kyle Krause and after being relegated, Buffon will start over in Serie B.