Gianluigi Buffon joins Paris Saint-Germain on free transfer after ending 17-year spell at Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon has signed an initial one-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Juventus, the Ligue 1 champions have announced.
The 40-year-old decided against retirement after his contract in Turin expired this summer and has reached a 12-month agreement to join PSG with the option of an additional year.
He becomes the first new arrival at Parc des Princes in a summer that has seen PSG’s extravagant transfer spending heavily scrutinised by Uefa as part of the governing body’s enforcement of Financial Fair Play regulations.
“It is with a great feeling of happiness that I join Paris Saint-Germain,” Buffon told his new club’s official website as his arrival was announced. “For the first time in my career, I am leaving my country and only a project this ambitious could have encouraged me to make such a decision.
“I want to thank the club and the president for their confidence. To have followed the club’s incredible progression in recent years, I know what dreams Paris Saint-Germain and its fans have in their hearts. I am going to bring all my energy, all my experience and all of my thirst to win to help my new club achieve all the great objectives it has set out for the future.
“With my teammates and our supporters, we will share fantastic emotions at the Parc des Princes and in all of the stadiums in which we are going to represent Paris, a marvellous city that deserves to one day see its club at the top of international football.”
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi added: “We all feel an immense pride in welcoming Gianluigi Buffon into the great Paris Saint-Germain family. “The immensity of his career, as well as his ambitious personality, unifying and elegant, make him one of the most admired and respected players in world football.
“At 40 years old, his passion for football is intact and Gianluigi has found the ideal environment in our project to set himself extremely high objectives transmitting his experience, not only to the other goalkeepers at the club, but to all of our players.
“Our supporters will know how to welcome Buffon with the enthusiasm and love that he deserves. His arrival reaffirms our will to always go higher, an ambition that we intend to pursue with a determination just as strong.”
Buffon joins PSG after a trophy-laden 17-year spell at Juventus that saw him win nine Serie A titles and five Coppa Italias, though Champions League glory eluded him in Turin. He became the subject of controversy in May when he publicly criticised referee Michael Oliver for awarding an injury-time penalty that enabled Real Madrid to eliminate his team at the quarter-final stage.
