Sometimes Clark Kent, sometimes Superman... eternally, and more simply, Gigi Buffon. An Incredible match against Lyon helped distance himself from his critics after a few mistakes with Italy and Juventus. The Juve goalkeeper talked about this current period in a recent interview:
"An error for me is something that provokes a feeling of shock: I'm not used to making them, and it's tough to accept these mistakes. Am I self-critical? Very much. I continue to give myself psychological and moral lashes for many days: I don't accept certain errors. And the critics, E le critiche, at the cost of being a masochist: I like them. They motivate me. If I don't accept them, I should stop working. I get annoyed when they talk about certain subjects: I have 22 years of my career behind me, I think I've shown something. And I didn't have my last good season three years ago: I was a protagonist at the Euros, both on and off the pitch."
From the errors to his super match against Lyon, touching on his passion for the game that he's given to his kids: "It was a normal game for me. I play to show that I'm different from the other goalkeepers: at 38 years old, I can do things that the others have never done. That is my challenge. My two older kids are obsessed with football, and this scares me a little. But they have a lot of fun. And they don't play goalkeeper. A future on the pitch? The pitch is the most beautiful part of the game, it transmits emotions that give your life meaning. I wouldn't like to be a coach with a daily routine like that. I won't exclude the possibility of becoming a national team coach: the emotions from the pitch remain, but it also gives me a little freedom to dedicate my life to other things."
Next, he talked about their next match against Milan: "On paper, Juve are stronger. On the pitch, we're winning but we must still improve, because if we have European ambitions, what we're demonstrating now is not enough. Bacca? He's a predator. He has an eye for goal and always knows where the goal is. I like this young Milan a lot. They have an avant-garde coach who has personality. It seems like the Juve project from a few years ago. They only need time and experience to improve. And Donnarumma, despite being three times my size, is like a little brother to me. He's a unique kid, very calm: at his age, I was completely different. He's thoughtful, intelligent, and has extraordinary quality. He has everything to make history as a goalkeeper. We just have to wait 20 years to draw conclusions."
He closed by talking about Juve's next commitments, and some of his new teammates: "Juve-Napoli will be important: if you win against a rival during a period of difficulty, it gives you an ulterior motivation to your ambitions. Higuain's professionalism and positivity struck me. I challenge anyone to come in as the highest-paid, best striker and sit on the bench four times: he's an example on and off the pitch. We needed players like this. Even like Benatia or Dani Alves: the choices to bring in new players were excellent."
@GIANMARCalciO
