5 of our favorite footballers who are nearing the end of their careers
It's almost sad that footballers have such short spanning careers. We all become used to seeing them every week, be it on television or live, and when they do decide to hang up their boots and walk away in the sunset, it is a sad thing to envisage.
We live every up and down with our favorite players, be it Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or victories or Ronaldo's apparent loss of form of late. Hence, it is one of the saddest things to see a player nearing the end of their career, being a shadow of their former self, but still giving everything for our favorite teams.
Be it David Beckham or Ronaldinho, every football fan around the world felt sad whenever their hero decided to take a permanent leave from his football, and so, we take a look at some of our favorite players who may, given their age, decide to retire from the beautiful game in the foreseeable future.
#5 Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus)
Age: 40 years
Position: Goalkeeper
Clubs: Parma, Juventus
Country: Italy
Honours:
Club: Serie A -10, Serie B - 1, Coppa Italia - 4, Supercoppa Italiana - 6, UEFA Cup - 1
International: FIFA World Cup - 1
A true veteran of the game, aged 40, Gianluigi Buffon is one of the best goalkeepers in the game. A leader on the pitch, his dominant presence in goal has always been a soothing sight for defenders, be it for his club or for the Italian national side.
The Italian has featured on the UEFA Team of the Year five times, and has won almost every trophy there is to win at club level, barring the UEFA Champions League. With Juventus strong contenders to lift the trophy in the latest edition of the competition, Buffon must be eager to add the prestigious medal to his trophy cabinet. The shot-stopper has won eight Serie A titles, Serie B once and the Coppa Italia four times.
The shot-stopper has stated that this may be his last season in football, provided Juventus win the Champions League after which he may reconsider his decision. He retired from international football after Italy failed to qualify for the latest edition of the World Cup, being held in Russia in 2018.