Buffon writes letter to his younger self about depression and far-right regrets

Gianluigi Buffon has written a heartfelt letter to his younger self, revealing his battle with depression and far-right regrets.

Buffon will go down in history as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, but the Juventus veteran detailed the struggles he encountered during his career in a long read on The Players’ Tribune.

“Dear 17-year-old Gianluigi,” it began.

“I write this letter to you tonight as a 41-year-old man who has experienced many, many things in life, and has made some mistakes. I have some good news and some bad news for you. The truth is that I am really here to speak to you about your soul.

“Yes, your soul. You do have one, believe it or not.  Let’s begin with the bad news. You’re 17 years old. You’re about to become a real footballer, like in your dreams. You think that you know everything. But the truth is, my friend, you don’t know s***.

“You ran outside in your pajamas, and you didn’t even understand what snow was. But there was no hesitation. You looked at the white snowbank, and what did you do? Did you think? Did you wonder? Did you run inside for your coat?

“No, you jumped right in. Fearless. Your grandmother was screaming, ‘Gianluigi!!!!!!!!!! No! No! No!’ You were soaking wet, grinning. You ended up having a fever for a whole week. But you didn’t give a damn. No hesitation. Right into the snow. This is who you are.

“You are Buffon. You will show the world that you exist.“