"What the f*ck game is this? This is not sport" - Gigi Buffon opens up on the worst mistake of his career while at PSG
Gianluigi Buffon made 25 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) during his time in the French capital. The Italian, however, declined a contract renewal after the club informed him of one decision.
Buffon was told that he wouldn't be starting the games in the UEFA Champions League as current West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola will be keeping in those matches.
He declined a renewal offer as a result, a decision Buffon regrets. He told Bolo TV:
"My experience in Paris was the best of my life. I must say that leaving was probably the biggest mistake of my career. Why? They told me, ‘Gigi, we are very happy, but you will not start as a starter in the Champions League. Areola will play.'"
He added:
"I stopped and said to myself, this is not right. I was talking about a matter of respect, you can't come for Buffon in March and say you don't play next year. What the f*ck game is this? This is not sport."
Buffon eventually left PSG and returned to Juventus. The 45-year-old currently plays for his boyhood club Parma.
Gianluigi Buffon reacted to PSG's loss to Manchester United
PSG had a 2-0 lead over Manchester United in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League when they hosted the Red Devils in the round-of-16 second leg.
The Parisians, however, crashed out of the competition after a 2-0 loss at Parc des Princes. Buffon spoke about the defeat, saying:
"The level of football I saw at PSG, I will never see it again in my life. The feeling of playing the Champions League and telling ourselves that we are going to win the C1 this year because we are stronger than the others... I told my wife, my agent. We ruined everything. They played in Paris with children, with De Gea, Lukaku and Rashford, the others were young. We ruined everything, mentally . It's probably the biggest regret of my career. We were very strong, a mega-team."
While Buffon has an extraordinary trophy cabinet, the legendary goalkeeper has never won the UEFA Champions League during his illustrious career.