Gianluigi Buffon is critical of Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance at Juventus. According to the now 43-year-old goalkeeper, the Italian top club has gradually lost its identity during the star player’s stay there. Ronaldo played in the Juventus shirt between 2018 and 2021 and opted for a return to his old love Manchester United in August.
“Juventus could have conquered the Champions League there in Ronaldo’s first year. I was still playing for Paris Saint-Germain at the time,” Buffon recalls in an extensive interview with TUND. “I worked with Ronaldo for two years when I came back and it always went well. But Juventus lost its DNA as a team during that time. We reached the Champions League final in 2017 because we had experience and really operated as a unit. There was a real competition going on at the time. That unity had disappeared with the arrival of Ronaldo,” the veteran puts his finger on the sore spot.
Ronaldo is still active at the top level at the age of 36. Buffon, who turns 44 in January, seems to be on a farewell tour with his longtime love Parma. However, stopping is not yet in his dictionary. “I would like to play in Mexico or the United States again. I would like to take that experience with me, but we will see what will happen.” Buffon says he is motivated by the fact that he never won the Champions League.
“That keeps my competitive spirit alive,” emphasizes Buffon. “I am in good shape and I respect my profession. If I had ever won the Champions League, I might have already stopped. Then I would not have really had a goal as a player.” The Italian veteran does not yet know what will follow after his active career. “I can’t say yet whether I will ever work as a trainer.”
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