French Cup summary: Paris Saint-Germain - Brest 1:3/Sport1
Although this is considered a rather forgettable year, between the two terms at Juventus Gianluigi Buffon spent the 2018/19 season at Paris Saint-Germain.
The former Italian goalkeeper made 25 appearances that season in the City of Lights and won the French Championship, but like so many times in recent years, the Parisians disappointed in the Champions League and were already eliminated in the round of 16 by Manchester United, who were considered underdogs.
The 46-year-old Italian, who retired from football this summer, spoke on the "BSMT" podcast about his time in France and tried to answer the burning question - how PSG has not yet managed to win the Champions League.
"The experience there was great, I felt free. I was a 'citizen of the world' and everyone loved me," said Buffon about Paris, "I met players there with an unimaginable quality. At Juventus I thought we were the best in the world and then I saw all these players in Paris - Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Marco Verratti, Marquinhos and Thiago Silva".
"I always asked how they couldn't win the Champions League, and then when I was there for a year I understood why," said the Italian, "There is a matter of dynamics, when you have so many players of a certain type (stars), it might make it difficult to create a good atmosphere. If I were Transfer all these players to Juventus, we would win the Champions League four times in a row."
"A year was enough for me to understand."
Buffon/Reuters
Buffon was also asked about the striker who gave him the most trouble, and was quick to answer: "Cristiano Ronaldo, he was always a scorer against me in a Real Madrid uniform. I saw him make movements that I had never seen before. You could see what energy he had, it's a result of determination."
As you may remember, the two worked together at Juventus when Buffon was then already an assistant goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper also referred to the decision he made in 2006 - to stay at Juventus even though it was relegated to the second division following the "Calciopoli" affair.
"I would do it another 100 times even though it cost me certain things in my career. I was outside the European top for a few years. It wasn't easy, hopefully it will inspire others."
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