Gianluigi Buffon’s farewell letter to the Juventus fans is searingly beautiful

This man has a way with words.

Saturday afternoon at the Allianz Stadium, La Vecchia Signora will bid farewell to a man who goes beyond the word legend.

Gianluigi Buffon will play his final game for ‘The Old Lady’ when Serie A champions Juventus take on Verona in the final game of the league season.

After 17 seasons with Juve, which saw him win 21 major honours, Buffon will guard the net for the final time.

The 40-year-old, who won a World Cup with Italy in 2006, has confirmed that this weekend will be the final time he lines out for ‘I Bianconeri’ but he may yet keep on playing.

Such is the high regard in which he is still held, Buffon has found himself linked with Manchester City, PSG, Liverpool and Sporting Club Portugal (Lisbon) since he hinted at carrying on his goalkeeping career.

Anyone who witnessed ‘Gigi’ over the past 23 seasons [he started off with Parma in 1995/96] will attest to the fact that he is a fiercely passionate individual. While that manifests, on rare occasions, with referees getting berated during and after high pressure matches, Irish fans will never forget his touching gesture after his nation took on their side at Euro 2016.

As Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane soaked up the magnitude of their side’s group stage win, Buffon was one of the first to congratulate them.

Buffon is a marvellous wordsmith too and, ahead of that final game for Juventus, he penned a searingly beautiful farewell letter to the fans that have backed him over these past 17 seasons. He writes:

‘Each of you has made special every second of my black and white life. And that life became my second skin. 
‘A skin that I’ve worn, loved and honoured. I’ve always cherished and protected with all of my heart.’

Be warned, not all of you will make it to the end of this letter without shedding a tear.

Here, in full, is Gigi’s farewell

6111

Six thousand one hundred eleven days.
Six thousand one hundred eleven moments of pure passion.
Of joy and of tears; of defeats and of victories.

I want to say thank you.
Thank you to all of you.
Each of you has made special every second of my black and white life. And that life became my second skin.
A skin that I’ve worn, loved and honoured. I’ve always cherished and protected with all of my heart.

Tomorrow will be the end of a journey.
The final chapter of a book that we’ve been writing together.
The emotion is deep.
Almost overwhelming.

A new journey begins.
A new chapter.
It is meant to be.
For Juventus, whose spirit will last beyond their single players. Forever!
I imagine as endless. Because this club has a unique and distinctive DNA. Remarkable and outstanding.
Juventus is a family. My family.
And I’ll never stop loving them, thanking them and calling them “home”.
Because they’ve given me so much. They’ve given me all.
Certainly, much more than I’ve given them.

A new journey begins.
A new chapter.
It is meant to be.
For me, when I start looking at the future with new eyes.
When I take on new challenges, with the attitude of someone who will always put his head in the game.
The faced with many challenges in my life: some of them I won, many more I lost. I know, I know that one gives you a peculiar thrill, because each one is different.
And therefore tougher.

The first time I came by the stadium. I was very young.
Tomorrow I’d like to – metaphorically – walk away, in order to taste every single moment. I’d like to enjoy every goodbye.
To savor every emotion.
I consider it my “home”.
Forever!
And I’ll say goodbye to all the teammates and friends that I’ll always consider my BROTHERS.

Until the end! Forever yours,
Gianluigi Buffon