Gianluigi Buffon has recently stated that leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 was the biggest mistake of his career. Although he explained that he could not accept being the backup for Alphonse Areola. The following was transcribed by RMC Sport but taken from an interview on Bobo TV.
Buffon expressed, “My experience in Paris was the best of my life. I must say that leaving was probably the biggest mistake of my career. Why? They told me, ‘Gigi, we are very happy, but you will not start as a starter in the Champions League. Areola will play.’ I thought it was not fair.”
He also explained that it was a matter of respect. “How can they tell you in March that you will not play next year? What kind of game is this? It’s not sport,” he added.
Despite missing Paris, Buffon gave up €10 million to leave the club after the 2018-2019 season as he did not want to be a backup. He eventually joined Juventus for two seasons (2019-2021).
Moreover, Buffon still has nostalgia for Paris, but also a traumatic experience, the elimination against Manchester United in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2019. The Parisians won 0-2 in England but lost 1-3 at home to a team that was missing several key players due to injuries.
“I will never see the level of football I saw in PSG in my life again,” Buffon said. “We felt like we were playing in the Champions League and that we were going to win it this year because we are stronger than others. I told my wife and agent. We messed it up. They came to play in Paris with kids. There was De Gea, Lukaku, and Rashford, but the rest were young. We messed it up mentally. It’s probably the biggest regret of my career. We were very strong, a mega-team.”
GFFN | George Boxall
