SOCCER
For the goalkeeper, Neymar is the best player he faced in his 28-year career
Published on November 19, 2024 at 4:38 pm
Neymar and Buffon Credit: Reproduction I Instagram @neymarjr
“For the player and the boy he is, he should have won five Ballon d’Ors.” This is the opinion of Buffon, former goalkeeper, about Neymar, the best player he has ever faced in his life according to the Italian himself.
With one of the longest-running careers in football, Gianluigi Buffon played professionally from 1995 to 2023, passing through three generations of sporting idols. “I played with three generations, how can I say? Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi, CR7, Iniesta”, he recalled in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
But, when asked about the greatest player he has ever encountered on the field, he highlighted Neymar, who was both Buffon’s opponent and teammate. The two played together at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2018/19 season, a year in which the team was considered one of the favorites to win the Champions League.
However, PSG fell in the round of 16 against Manchester United. “We had won 2-0 in Manchester against United. I understood that we were not preparing the return in the right way. But I didn’t say… after all, I was the last to arrive, maybe I still had a provincial mentality, they were all champions, Mbappe (PSG player in the same season) had just won the Cup”, commented Buffon.
“We conceded a goal immediately due to a defensive error, the second was also due to an inaccurate pass on my part, we scored the third and were eliminated. We did not adequately prepare for the return”, he added.
Buffon’s trajectory
Gianluigi Buffon is mainly known for the World Cup title he won with Italy in 2006, as well as being a great idol for every Juventus fan, the club he defended in his country.
