Buffon: Italy is making a strong comeback; Serie A title is competitive now

Recently, Buffon participated in a program on Radio Sportiva, where he talked about topics such as Spalletti coaching Juventus, the rivalry between Conte and Allegri, and then delved into multiple themes. Naturally, the discussion included the current situation of the Bianconeri, but the Italy team leader also thoroughly analyzed the current state of the national team and did not overlook the seemingly intense Serie A title race at the beginning of this season. In addition, he also looked back on his past, from the start of his career to the moment he finally hung up his boots.

Buffon and His Reluctant Debut with the Italy National Team

When someone told Buffon that no one could imagine the day when he would bid farewell to football would come, he smiled and said, "I too once believed in the fairy tale of never stopping playing football. Then I have to say that life is stronger and more determined than I am." On the day of his first Serie A debut 30 years ago in Parma against AC Milan, did he foresee that he would become "Buffon"? "If I said I hadn't thought about it, I'd be lying. I had expectations and even thought I could do better. But reality gives you feedback, and ultimately reality taught me that I should be happy with everything I've done. It's very difficult to sustain a career of that level for 29 years. Any regrets? No, I've done everything I wanted to do. Including those choices, I have no regrets. The pitch has rendered a fair verdict." 

From his Serie A debut to donning the jersey of the Azzurri, Buffon's national team career began in the swirling snow of Moscow, Russia, in 1997 - it was a UEFA World Cup play-off. "To be honest, that was the only game I didn't want to play in. Not because of the importance of the match, but because of the extreme climate and pitch conditions at the time."

"The national team has shown signs of recovery" 

But the conversation quickly jumped from the past back to the present: there was no avoiding talking about Italy and the possibility of qualifying for the World Cup - given their position behind Norway in the qualifying group, the path to qualification would have to go through the play-offs. "Without getting into the November games, we need to have a broader discussion. We've shown some signs of recovery, positive signs. Despite the poor result in the last game, in the first 75 minutes against Norway until the 1-1 draw, I saw a team that gives us hope." 

Buffon experienced extraordinary times with the Italian team, with the pinnacle being winning the World Cup in 2006, and later also went through the trough of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. "I've experienced the best times and also part of the worst moments. That's fair. My sports career has spanned such a long time, so it's quite normal to go through these transitions. Just like everything else, a restart often corresponds to a trough, such as in 2018, and after that trough, thanks to the efforts of Mancini and the players, we won the European Championship in 2021. Then we experienced another elimination. I hope we can start anew once again. Maybe this time the journey that yields results can last a bit longer."

"Italy, always ourselves: we are formidable"

Regarding the Italy national team and head coach Gattuso: "Those who should speak are those who have direct contact with us and whose responsibilities are different from mine. Excessive praise seems to be an attempt to benefit from the choices that have been made. In my opinion, on the premise of maintaining a certain objective distance, the foundation for achieving satisfactory results exists. There has never been any certainty. But like all things, even if the results do not meet our expectations, we can calmly say that we have acted in the right way."

U21 head coach Baldini once said, 'Italy doesn't have to, but wants to qualify for the World Cup': "Of course. This is definitely our thought, our belief. There can't be any other thought. If we start worrying too much four months in advance, it's almost like self-cursing. What I want to say is that, at least compared to the previous play-offs, we need to change our mindset. Go to the field with the respect that the play-off opponents deserve, but understand that we are always ourselves. Therefore, we are formidable."

When asked if Donnarumma is the only truly top-level player in this Italian team, Buffon replied: "In my opinion, Donnarumma is doing something extraordinary, and it's right to emphasize this. But I think that as a national team, we have many players of very high level who are winning very important positions in the world's top teams. What we need to do is create conditions for them to think as a team. They have excellent potential. We must find the key ways for them to continuously and sustainably demonstrate it." When talking about talent, the leader of the Azzurri commented on Zaniolo's revival after donning the Udinese jersey: "Positive signals have come, and we want to see them, as does the coach. As Gattuso said, the door of the national team is always open to those with strength, and the coach will not set any preconditions."

Spalletti, Juventus, and the Title Race in Serie A

In recent weeks, Serie A and the league have demonstrated unity on national team-related issues: "We commend all the clubs, as they have shown concern not only for the needs of the national team but also for the requirements of Italian football as a whole. We are exploring whether we can find a two-day window between February and March, even though the league schedule cannot be adjusted. However, they have shown full willingness to cooperate. This makes us very happy. Because it is all too easy to sigh in vain only when things go wrong and seem impossible to improve." 

The topic has shifted from the national team to the Italian Serie A, with Juventus' partnership with Spalletti taking the lead. "The wisdom of a club and its management lies in the ability to look beyond short-term results and evaluate a coach's in-depth capabilities and long-term value. Juventus has always aimed to win the championship, but since the team has been out of the title race for many years, the current core task should be to lay the foundation for the team's reconstruction to compete for the championship." 

Meanwhile, the battle for the Serie A title this season has reached a white-hot stage, and Buffon is full of expectations for it: "This is so exciting. Only a league like this can truly ignite passion. There are too many teams with the strength to challenge traditional giants at any time, and Como is the most typical example. We must recognize Fabregas' outstanding work and the club's long-term vision. Of course, there are also other pleasantly surprising teams. Take Bologna, for example. Their performance is not a surprise to me - although their current results are truly amazing, I believe this is an inevitable manifestation of their strength, as they have already shown their mettle in the past two seasons. Under the leadership of this coach, Bologna is fully qualified to harbor higher ambitions.