ITALY legend Gianluigi Buffon quit the national team just one minute after another humiliating World Cup elimination.
The Azzurri will miss out on the esteemed competition for the third consecutive time after to Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon quit the national team after another World Cup elimination
Buffon resigned just one minute after Italy’s play-off final defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina
defeated the Italian national team 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Zenica.
And , 48, immediately quit his position as Italy’s head of delegation and made the official announcement two days later after Gabriele Gravina resigned as president of the country’s football federation.
The legendary goalkeeper revealed he informed his superiors only a minute after full-time in Bosnia and insisted he had to make way for someone new after another failure to guide the team to the .
Buffon tweeted the following statement: “Resigning one minute after the end of the match against Bosnia was an urgent act, one that came from deep within me.
“As spontaneous as the tears and that heartache that I know I share with all of you. I was asked to hold off, to give everyone time to reflect properly.
“Now that President Gravina has chosen to step back, I feel free to do what I sense as an act of responsibility, because, despite my sincere conviction that we built so much in terms of spirit and team with Rino Gattuso and all the collaborators, in the very short time available to the National Team, the main goal was to bring back to the World Cup.
“And we didn’t succeed. It’s right to leave it to whoever comes after me the freedom to choose the figure they deem best to fill my role. Representing the National Team is for me an honor and a passion that has consumed me since I was a kid.
“I tried to carry out my role by putting all my energy into it, looking at all sectors to be a link, a point of dialogue and synergy between the various youth teams, working with the various heads to structure a project that starts from the youngest and goes all the way to the Under-21 National Team.
“All of this to rethink the way we nurture the talents of the future senior National Team.
“I requested and obtained the inclusion of a few, important figures with strong experience, who, together with the skills already in place, are bringing about these necessary changes with a medium- and long-term vision.
“This because I believe in the policy of meritocracy and specialisation of roles. It will be up to those responsible to judge the goodness of these choices.
“I carry everything in my heart, with gratitude for the privilege and the lessons that, even in this painful ending, this intense experience leaves me. Forza Azzurri always.”
Fans were left shocked after Buffon’s announcement and stormed social media expressing their gratitude and respect.
One fan tweeted: “The real legend, feel so bad for Italy football federation right now.”
Another commented: “So sad to see the legend Buffon resigning.”
Another resignation incoming
A third wrote: “Wow.. this is strange. But why?”
This fan said: “So sad.”
And a comment read: “Wow, how sad.”
Buffon is considered by many as the greatest keeper of all time and is the most capped Italy player of all time having played 176 times for the national team.
The Parma great was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning team as was current manager Gennaro Gattuso, who looks set to .
According to Sky Sports, and Massimiliano Allegri have emerged as early front-runners to replace Gattuso.
Buffon was part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning team
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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