Buffon: 'Greatest day of my life'
By Football Italia staff
Gianluigi
Buffon admits the Lecce howler left a mark, but he is celebrating this Scudetto
thinking of Calciopoli and those who went into Serie B with
Juventus.
“It’s pointless saying that error didn’t weigh on me or leave a
mark. More than anything else, I was afraid I’d be responsible for someone
getting tense or afraid in the final sprint. This is why I had a very bad time
the last three days.
“They were the three most horrible days of my
sporting existence. I was afraid I had thrown away the title with my own
mistake. I felt a great sense of responsibility.
“So tonight, without
doubt after the World Cup, this is the greatest joy of my sporting life. Finally
it can give a sense to the phrase that hard work pays off. I always thought it
was 20 per cent true and 80 per cent rhetoric, but now I think it’s 80 per cent
true.
“I thought of many people in these moments and there are many
dedications to make, first of all to Alessandro Del Piero, as finally we were
able to celebrate together again. I also thought back to Camoranesi, Trezeguet
and Nedved, who also deserved to be protagonists on this night. I thank my
family for standing by me throughout and guiding me to the right
decisions.
“At the end perhaps I was the one who had the most offers, but
when winning a World Cup and going down into Serie B straight away, it’s never
easy. I think the only reason we did it was our love for the club, sense of
belonging at Juve, respect for the fans and friendship between us.
“I
suffered a great deal, as six years are a long time, but it was worth the
wait.”
This is the first post-Calciopoli Scudetto and Juventus consider
it to be their 30th, although officially it is the 28th.
“The issue of
how many titles we have has been going for a long time and will probably never
end. I really thank the Inter lads for their efforts tonight and I sent a few
messages to Javier Zanetti saying I had faith in him! He’s a good
friend.
“I won five titles on the field, then they put three on my
CV, but there’s not much I can do about it. I can only say what I experienced
and celebrated at the time.”
“I can reveal something now. The day after
the presentation of the Juventus Stadium I went to see some people who gravitate
around us and told him we’re winning the Scudetto. I said the same to some of
the Milan lads when we were on international duty and they laughed in my face. I
didn’t take that well!
“The truth is that in August I was really struck
by the new stadium, as it gave me huge motivation and refreshed me. I realised
that day I belonged to a club that had made history, so we could not afford to
stay on the level of the previous two years.
“I said in August I
rediscovered the dream and when that happens, it’s trouble for everyone else!”
