Buffon: I planned to compete for ballon d'Or, I still had the ability at 43 or 44

Buffon said in the guest program "The Locker Room Chronicles: Fellow Travelers" that he still had the capital to compete for the Ballon d'Or at the age of 43 or 44.

Talking about joining Parma at the beginning

I was determined to gain a foothold in Parma at the time and would never want to return home in despair. I hope that in the future, those friends I cherish will be able to say: "I used to play football with Buffon when I was young." I was doing well at home, but I couldn't go back as someone eliminated by Parma. I just wanted to become a professional player immediately.

You always tie your shoelaces on one knee. Is this a habit?

(Laughs) That's right. This was the first thing my first coach in Parma taught me. Some teachings are particularly profound, perhaps because I was young, or because those elders were particularly important in my life, and I will remember them for the rest of my life. I remember sitting in the locker room tying my shoelaces for the first time, and when he saw it, he immediately said: "No, you can't do this! Real players never tie their shoelaces like this." I asked him what to do, and he told me to stand up and put my foot on the bench to tie them. I have kept this habit for the rest of my life, and I always tie my shoelaces like this in the locker room.

How do you recall your youth in the boarding dormitory?

I stayed at the Maria Luigia boarding school in Parma for three years. At that time, the young players of the Parma echelon were all placed here. When they reached the age of sixteen or seventeen, they would move to a detached building and start living independently. I miss the boarding time very much, and it was indeed difficult to adapt to it at first. You must abide by the school rules and respect the administrators, who watched over us day and night and restrained discipline. But after making friends slowly, this period became an interesting episode in my life, like the purgatory of Dante, with mixed feelings. There were not only players in the dormitory, but also people from different social classes and with different life experiences. There were absurd and embarrassing moments, as well as happy and beautiful moments. Everyone mingled regardless of their circles, and we survived all kinds of difficulties together.

Is it true that you used to frequent gas stations in Parma?

That's right. We did go all over the gas stations in Parma at that time. Every winter, the field became hard due to the severe cold, and our goalkeepers often fell to the ground to save the ball, and their hips would always develop severe bursitis. We were helpless, and later we thought of asking the gas station for inflatable rubber pads. Putting the pad inside the training suit made the whole person look bulging and funny. But this thing is very important, with it you can safely fall to the ground to save; once you suffer from bursitis, you can't complete the diving save action at all.

About retirement

I am never afraid of life after retirement. In recent years, I have already paved the way for myself and have a solid life support. I have a happy family life, with my wife, children, relatives and friends around me, as well as a few close friendships that support each other. I have also cultivated two or three hobbies that run parallel to my football life, so I will not fall into emptiness after retirement. In fact, there are two main reasons why I chose to hang up my boots: one is that my calf has been repeatedly injured again; and the other is that in the past year and a half, I have been extremely eager to live an ordinary life and have a leisurely breakfast. I just want to drink a cappuccino and eat a croissant freely, instead of getting up early every day to strictly control my diet and restrain myself.

If you had won the Champions League with Juventus back then, would you have retired?

No. I have always been strict with myself and always had dreams in my heart. For me, even if there are plenty of reasons to retire at the end of the season, as long as there is still a motivation to continue, I will continue to play. This motivation could be to compete in the Olympic Games, to reach the sixth World Cup, to win the Champions League for Juventus, to help Parma return to Serie A, or to lead Parma to win the championship. My contract even included this championship clause. Even winning the Ballon d'Or was once in my plan. Until the age of 43 or 44, I still had the capital to compete, but to outsiders, this was almost a fantasy.