Buffon’s ‘biggest mistake’

Legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, now playing for his childhood club Parma, admitted that leaving PSG was 'his biggest mistake' and the 2019 loss in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie was 'the biggest regret of his career'.

The former Italy international spent only one season at PSG in 2018-19, between his two spells with Juventus, collecting 25 appearances across all competitions with the Ligue 1 giants. "It was the most beautiful experience in my life and leaving was my biggest mistake," he admitted.

"I gave up €10m. They wanted to play Alphonse Areola [to start] and I couldn't accept it. That [being second-choice] is something I would only accept at Juventus. My sons are still asking me why we left Paris. I felt like a free man there. I went to museums, spoke French…and I think I'll never see the same quality again.

He also spoke of the Parisiens' infamous mental fragility, relating it to a Champions League round of 16 clash against Manchester United. PSG were 2-0 up going into the second leg, but went on to lose 3-1.

"What they lacked, however, was the Juventus attitude because the team was so strong. The game against Manchester United [in the Champions League in 2019] is the biggest regret of my career.

"We threw it away. They played in Paris with children. There was [David] De Gea, [Romelu] Lukaku and [Marcus] Rashford but the others were young. We made a mess, mentally. Probably the biggest regret of my career. We were very strong, a mega team."