Buffon: 'Greatest day of my life'
By Football Italia staff
Gianluigi Buffon admits the Lecce howler left a mark, but he is celebrating this Scudetto thinking of Calciopoli and those who went into Serie B with Juventus.
“It’s pointless saying that error didn’t weigh on me or leave a mark. More than anything else, I was afraid I’d be responsible for someone getting tense or afraid in the final sprint. This is why I had a very bad time the last three days.
“They were the three most horrible days of my sporting existence. I was afraid I had thrown away the title with my own mistake. I felt a great sense of responsibility.
“So tonight, without doubt after the World Cup, this is the greatest joy of my sporting life. Finally it can give a sense to the phrase that hard work pays off. I always thought it was 20 per cent true and 80 per cent rhetoric, but now I think it’s 80 per cent true.
“I thought of many people in these moments and there are many dedications to make, first of all to Alessandro Del Piero, as finally we were able to celebrate together again. I also thought back to Camoranesi, Trezeguet and Nedved, who also deserved to be protagonists on this night. I thank my family for standing by me throughout and guiding me to the right decisions.
“At the end perhaps I was the one who had the most offers, but when winning a World Cup and going down into Serie B straight away, it’s never easy. I think the only reason we did it was our love for the club, sense of belonging at Juve, respect for the fans and friendship between us.
“I suffered a great deal, as six years are a long time, but it was worth the wait.”
This is the first post-Calciopoli Scudetto and Juventus consider it to be their 30th, although officially it is the 28th.
“The issue of how many titles we have has been going for a long time and will probably never end. I really thank the Inter lads for their efforts tonight and I sent a few messages to Javier Zanetti saying I had faith in him! He’s a good friend.
“I won five titles on the field, then they put three on my CV, but there’s not much I can do about it. I can only say what I experienced and celebrated at the time.”
“I can reveal something now. The day after the presentation of the Juventus Stadium I went to see some people who gravitate around us and told him we’re winning the Scudetto. I said the same to some of the Milan lads when we were on international duty and they laughed in my face. I didn’t take that well!
“The truth is that in August I was really struck by the new stadium, as it gave me huge motivation and refreshed me. I realised that day I belonged to a club that had made history, so we could not afford to stay on the level of the previous two years.
“I said in August I rediscovered the dream and when that happens, it’s trouble for everyone else!”
What a fantastic lad.. This made me cry