Buffon wants three more years

Gianluigi Buffon says he wants to stay at Juventus for at least three more years.

The Italy international goalkeeper has developed into one of Juve’s undisputed star players since joining them from Parma in 2001, and Buffon has no intention of trying his luck elsewhere.

“I’ve already spent 12 years wearing this shirt, almost half of my life so far, but I hope that my adventure with Juventus continues for a long time, at least up until 15 years,” Buffon said.

“Only a few players can say they’ve stayed at such an important team for that length of time.”

The 34-year-old came close to winning the Champions League in 2002/03, but AC Milan eventually proved to be too strong in the final, something that still frustrates Buffon.

“I had a fantastic first five years here, given the satisfaction we enjoyed in the championship, even though there was a little disappointment in the Champions League,” he said.

“We were probably the strongest team in Europe, but we never managed to win it.”

The experienced goalkeeper looked back at his time in Serie B with Juventus, and stressed that it was well worth it to stay put.

“The year in Serie B is something I recall with pleasure, because I stayed and owed it to the fans to do so. It would have been too easy to leave at that particular moment,” he said.

“The most difficult period was the return to Serie A, because we were aware of how difficult it would be to return to winning ways.

“I asked myself if staying at Juve was worth it. After last year, the answer is an emphatic yes, because the feeling of winning the Scudetto again was so intense, and something I would not have experienced with any other team.

“Now I’d like to end my time with Juventus by winning something important.”

Buffon has made 10 appearances for Juve this term.