Gianluigi Buffon: 5 Greatest Moments at Juventus
There were no tears from Gianluigi Buffon at the press conference when he announced that he was leaving Juventus at the end of the season. Just a big smile; a final sense of release as the Italian goalkeeper ends a long and prosperous era in Turin that lasted 17 seasons.
When Juve decided to splash the equivalent of €52m on a goalkeeper way back in 2001, people thought it was madness. But this was Buffon. And he chose Juve over Barcelona and AS Roma to win the elusive Serie A title.
He eventually finished with 18 top flight titles with The Old Lady. But Buffon's career at Juve is one that should not be remembered for the trophies he won or lost.
We look at five of his most memorable moments with the club.
#5 Becoming Serie A's greatest champion
Franco Baresi has won six. Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta have won seven. Giuseppe Furino has won eight.
Only Buffon has won nine Serie A title. And that's after Juventus were stripped of the two titles they won in 2004/05 and 2005/06 due to the Calciopoli scandal.
It was his father that urged him to sign for Juventus back in 2001 because he felt he had a better chance of winning the Scudetto. And the goalkeeper won the league for the first time in his debut season itself.
However, one of the most memorable highlights of his career will be the fact that he was part of the squad that won seven Serie A titles in a row - an unprecedented achievement.