DBasia.news – Veteran Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was inaugurated as a new member of Parma, the club that made his name first.
Gigi, as Buffon is familiarly called, has signed a contract that will bind him at Ennio Tardini until June 30, 2023. Although his age is no longer productive, Buffon still attracts the owner of Parma.
Besides being wanted by the owner of The Emilians, Buffon is also considered by influential figures at the club such as Javier Ribalta and Enzo Maresca.
Ribalta, who previously worked with Buffon at Juventus as head of team recruitment, is now the general manager of Parma. The first name became the brain behind Buffon’s return to Ennio Tardini.
Meanwhile, Maresca was also a key factor in bringing the goalkeeper aged four to Parma.
Buffon actually has the opportunity to return to the scene outside the Italian Serie A, as he did when he decided to leave Juventus for PSG.
Barcelona reportedly offered Buffon to become Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s back-up goalkeeper. However, the veteran refused and preferred to go home to Parma.
Buffon is claimed to still feel the need to appear as a starter even though he is more than four decades old. At Parma, the old goalkeeper also knows the inside and outside.
The 43-year-old hopes that with Parma he will get a leadership role and make regular appearances for the upcoming 2021/22 season.
In his second spell with the Bianconeri, Buffon made 29 appearances in two seasons. Last season, he had the opportunity to appear eight times in the Serie A scene.