Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi ‘Gigi’ Buffon has decided to retire from professional football at the age of 45 according to football insider Fabrizio Romano. He played for Italian Serie B side Parma Calcio FC in the last two seasons and was due to continue for the side until 2024, but recurring injuries and the club’s failure to gain promotion to Serie A is said to have been an important factor in his decision to retire.

Buffon had also suffered multiple injuries last season including a hamstring injury which forced him out of the game for three months, result of which was Parma being fourth in Serie B with a 17-10-11 record, due to which they missed out on promotion to Serie A.

Buffon had also received an offer from the Saudi Pro League where he could’ve played with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, etc had he accepted. Instead, he turned down the Saudi offer to land one significant deal before retirement but due to the current circumstances, he decided to retire.

Gigi Buffon is considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers to play the game by most of the pundits and fans. He made his senior team debut in 1995 for Parma Calcio FC and has never looked back since. He also made his international debut for Italy in 1997 and has made 1,151 appearances for club and country throughout his career.

During this time, he won 29 trophies, including 10 Serie A titles, a Ligue 1 title and the most famous FIFA World Cup in 2006. In terms of individual accolades, Buffon has been named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year Award in 2003, and he has won a record 13 Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year awards.

Buffon has spent the majority of his career in Italy, playing more than 650 games for Juventus and 250 for boyhood club Parma. But he also ventured to France for one season, joining French giants Paris Saint-Germaine in July 2018. He then made a move back to Juventus in 2019 and stayed there for 2 years after which he made his final transfer back to his childhood club Parma.