Widely considered one of the greatest goalkeepers to have played the game, Gianluigi Buffon said the key to his longevity under the bar is the ability to use failure as motivation.
Optimist by nature
“To tell the truth, something I like about myself is that I always try to see the glass as half full. I am an optimist by nature.
“In my career, the defeats have really hurt because some of them have been heavy. But my way is to always fight and try to win on another night. This is what stimulates me after every loss,” Buffon, who at 42 is still a part of Serie A champion Juventus’ squad, told Sony Ten 2 ahead of his team’s Champions League fixture against Barcelona.
No regrets
Looking back at his long career, during which he won a record 176 caps with the Italian national team, Buffon said he has no regrets about not making it 200.
“There were times where I thought I could get to around 200 appearances. But in my role as captain, I was happy to put the needs of the team ahead of mine.
Needed a happy group
“So for me, when it was possible, it was right for the other goalkeepers to play because to achieve the best results as a team, we needed a group that was happy and satisfied.
“There were many appearances I may have missed for that, but I think this was the right thing to do,” Buffon said. When asked to name the three best goalkeepers currently, Buffon placed Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak at the top of the list.
Top custodians
“[Jan] Oblak, Alisson [Becker] and I’ll put [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, [Manuel] Neuer and [Thibaut] Courtois. And [Marc-André] ter Stegen! Okay, maybe a few more than three, but they are all great!” Buffon said.
