Gianluigi Buffon Looking for 'New Challenges' in Italy after PSG Exit

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posted on 5 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Paris Saint-Germain announced that Gianluigi Buffon would be leaving the French club in hopes of a return to football in Italy

Paris: Gianluigi Buffon said Wednesday that he will return to Italy after agreeing to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the month, with the World Cup winner looking for "new challenges" in his home country after a year in the French capital.

Ligue 1 champions PSG had announced earlier that both club and player had agreed not to renew the former Italy captain's contract, which expires on June 30, after an underwhelming spell between the PSG sticks.

"Today my adventure outside Italy ends: PSG offered me a contract renewal that I didn't feel it was right to sign given my desire for new experiences and professional challenges," the 41-year-old wrote on Instagram.

The veteran goalkeeper, who won the World Cup in 2006 and is Italy's most-capped player with 176 appearances, did not say he would retire as a player and did not specify what challenges he was seeking.

"Ernest Hemingway wrote that there are only two places in the world where people can live happily: at home and in Paris. Today onwards, this will also apply to me: Paris, in some way, will always remain my home," he wrote in a statement published on PSG's website.

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???????? Ernest Hemingway ha scritto che “ci sono solo due posti al mondo dove possiamo vivere felicemente: a casa e a Parigi”. Da oggi per me queste due cose un po’ coincideranno. Parigi, a suo modo, sarà per sempre anche un po’ casa. Grazie per ciò che ho avuto la possibilità di vivere. Grazie per l’accoglienza, le emozioni e le fatiche vissute assieme. Uno vicino all’altro. Compagni di lavoro, di squadra e di viaggio. 12 mesi fa sono arrivato pieno di entusiasmo, accolto dall’incredibile calore dei tifosi. Mi avete commosso. Grazie ancora con tutto il cuore. Riparto più ricco e soddisfatto di un’esperienza che mi ha certamente migliorato e fatto crescere ulteriormente. Oggi si conclude questa mia avventura fuori dall’Italia: il @psg mi ha proposto un rinnovo di contratto che non mi sono sentito di accettare spinto dal desiderio di prepararmi a nuove esperienze umane e nuove sfide professionali. Ringrazio il Presidente Nasser, i dirigenti e tutti i miei compagni di squadra che mi hanno regalato tanti giorni di spensierata giovinezza. Vi auguro il meglio convinto che continuerete a scrivere insieme le pagine di questa importante storia. Allez Paris! Merci e bonne chance pour tout! ???????? Ernest Hemingway écrit qu’il n’y a que deux endroits au monde où l’on puisse vivre heureux : chez soi et à Paris. Depuis aujourd’hui, ça vaudra pour moi aussi. Paris, en quelque manière, sera toujours un peu chez moi. Merci pour tout ce que j’ai eu la possibilité de vivre. Merci pour l’accueil, les émotions et les fatigues éprouvées ensemble. L’un à côté de l’autre. Compagnons de travail, d’équipe et de voyage. Il y a 12 mois j’arrivais plein d’enthousiasme, accueilli par l’incroyable chaleur des supporters. C’était vraiment émouvant. Merci, encore une fois, de tout mon cœur. Je repars enrichi et satisfait par une expérience qui sans doute m’a amélioré et m’a fait croître. Aujourd’hui se termine mon aventure hors de l’Italie : le Paris Saint-Germain m’a proposé de renouveler mon contrat mais je ne me suis pas senti d’accepter, poussé par le désir d’affronter des nouvelles expériences...
A post shared by Gianluigi Buffon (@gianluigibuffon) on Jun 5, 2019 at 8:33am PDT

Buffon joined PSG last summer after ending a trophy-packed 17-year career at Italian giants Juventus and played 25 times in all competitions last season, winning the Ligue 1 title and the curtain raiser Champions Trophy.

This season's league title was the 10th of Buffon's career, adding to a bulging trophy cabinet that contains just about every honour in football.

However the Champions League has eluded him despite him spending the bulk of his career at Juve, one of Europe's biggest clubs, and it was hoped that he might break his duck with the Qatari-funded Parisians.

However despite winning the league at a canter, the past season was a poor one for both Buffon and a team with lofty ambitions on the European stage.

They missed out on both domestic cup competitions and most importantly were dumped out of the Champions League by Manchester United in embarrassing style, blowing a 2-0 first-leg lead to go out on away goals following a controversial last-gasp penalty.

Buffon made a crucial error that helped United achieve their remarkable comeback, spilling Marcus Rashford's weak shot into the path of Romelu Lukaku to allow the Belgian to score the away side's second and set up a dramatic finish.