PSG superstar Neymar reacts to ex-teammate Gianluigi Buffon's retirement
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacker Neymar has reacted to former club teammate Gianluigi Buffon's retirement on his social media account.
On Wednesday (August 2), Buffon decided to pull the curtains down on his brilliant career after spending close to 28 years between the sticks.
Taking to Instagram, the 45-year-old confirmed his retirement after ending his contract with Parma ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. He posted an announcement video and captioned it:
"That's all folks! You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together."
Neymar, who played alongside Buffon for a season, took to Instagram and showed his admiration for the goalkeeper. He reshared Buffon's retirement video and wrote in an Instagram Story:
"Legend 👏 👏 👏 👏"
Buffon, who announced his international retirement in 2018 after 176 appearances for Italy, plied his trade for PSG in the 2018-19 term. He registered nine shutouts in 25 overall matches, conceding 25 goals.
Neymar, who arrived from Barcelona in a €222 million transfer in 2017, played with the former Juventus man 13 times at PSG. The pair lifted two trophies together – the Ligue 1 and the Trophee des Champions.
Buffon, a 2006 FIFA World Cup winner, cemented himself as one of the best shot-stoppers of all time during his three-decade-long career. He lifted 26 trophies at club level, including 10 Serie A titles for Juventus.
The most-capped goalkeeper of all time, Buffon finished his career at his boyhood club Parma. He helped them finish fourth in the Serie B standings, registering five clean sheets in 18 matches past campaign.
Overall, Buffon registered 429 shutouts in 975 matches at club level.
Gianluigi Buffon reveals sensational feeling of playing alongside PSG attacker Neymar
Earlier in March this year, Gianluigi Buffon was asked to shed light on what it is like to play alongside PSG star Neymar. He told BoboTV:
"A show. He's another of those players that when you play together you say: 'What the f**k did I see? What am I seeing?' You really slap yourself. He makes plays, manages to change some situations. He sees things that normal people don't see. Then he has class, ball dancing."
Neymar, 31, has scored 118 goals and laid out 77 assists in 173 games across all competitions for his club so far. He is currently averaging a goal or an assist at an interval of every 74 minutes of first-team action.
A right-footed inside forward, the Brazilian has been linked with a move away from the Parisians for quite a while, with Chelsea most interested.