In the afternoon of Beijing time yesterday (28th), Serie B Parma Club officially announced that it and Buffon renewed their contract until 2024. Upon completion of this new contract, Buffon will turn 46.
"I've never felt the weight of age."
After completing the renewal of his contract with Parma, Buffon said so. This is Versailles, the Italian god of doors, because not everyone can be like him, unaware of the passage of time, indifferent to the marks left by age on the body. No one can be young forever, but Buffon may be closer to this ideal than we are, and his secret is as follows: "Beautiful, fresh, positive energy, plus beautiful dreams." ”
Buffon's original contract with Parma lasted until 2023, and this renewal is actually another year on the basis of the original contract. Crusader 1 will be 46 years old if he can fulfill this contract. Among the international players, the last player to enjoy such a long career is Egypt's former international Al Hadari, while the other elderly goalkeeper who is closer to Buffon and better known is peter Hilton, who holds the record for the Three Lions. Looking at the outfield players, the original Ballon d'Or winner Sir Stanley Matthews, announced that he would hang up his boots at the age of 50, but the intensity and specialization of football at that time was not much comparable to contemporary times.
Buffon's obsession was clearly quite strong. The gray memory of missing the World Cup in 2018 still has hidden pain in his heart. Earlier, he said in an interview that he hoped to enter the big list for the 2022 World Cup. What if the Italian play-offs are out? "Then I'll try to participate in the next one!" At the press conference of the renewal, Parma president Klaus sat next to Buffon. Klaus is an American, and the 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Klaus said in accented Italian: "He will fight for the 2026 World Cup!" Buffon responded on the side: "There is indeed a possibility - you see, the chairman knows me very well." "You can't tell if they're serious or half-joking.
Although there may not be a goalkeeper in history who is better than Buffon at the age of 44, in all fairness, the reaction speed and physical function of the former Zebra god have dropped significantly, and with his current competitive state, it is quite difficult to squeeze out Meret and Claño.
In contrast, Buffon's other obsession may be easier to implement. What made the "youngster" determined to renew parma's contract may also be the team's current unsatisfactory standings situation. Buffon had hoped to take the team to the first division in his first season of returning to his hometown, and then completed his career in Serie A. This season's Parma are sitting on the likes of Vazquez, Tuttino and Dennis Mann, and the winter window has eaten Nwankovo Simi, which is a Serie A level on the offensive end, but the team currently has only 32 points in 26 games, ranking in the bottom half of the table. After Maresca left office in disgrace, and after Yakini succeeded him, the team became a draw expert, and the record did not improve significantly.
Judging from the current situation, Parma is still quite difficult to promote this season, but ambitious boss Klaus is not discouraged. Judging by the intensity of his investment, it is only a matter of time before Parma return to the top flight. As a result, Buffon has every opportunity to re-enter Serie A in the 2023-24 season, representing where his dream began. Now the record for the oldest player in Serie A history, held by the former Blue Eagles goalkeeper Balota (44 years and 38 days), if Buffon successfully achieves the return drama, it will be ironclad to break this record, and it will be difficult to come after.
Buffon completed his contract extension on Feb. 28, coinciding with the 80th birthday of another legendary goalkeeper, Zoff. Zoff's career was long enough that he bid farewell to the pitch in 1983 at the age of 41, and now Buffon is even further away. Buffon paid tribute to his predecessors on social media: "For my generation, including the next generation of goalkeepers, Dino Zoff was, is and will be a role model. Zoff acknowledged the persistence of his juniors: "Obviously, he's enjoying it, he's still doing well and I'd love to see him stick with it." ”
Wen | Shen Tianhao
Edit | Peppery Soup