EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
After lining up for Juventus against Sampdoria last year, Gianluigi Buffon equalled Paolo Maldini’s record for most Serie A appearances.
The 41-year-old is Serie A’s third oldest ever player with his haul of nine domestic titles a record he already has all to himself.
While Buffon’s success and longevity is inevitably a source of inspiration for many, the man himself has stressed he doesn’t want to be burdened by being a role model.
“It’s a satisfaction that makes me proud, it’s right to be proud [of the Serie A appearance record]. Life is made of sacrifice and sweat, but also of beautiful and frivolous things,” Buffon told Calciomercato.com.
“I don’t want to be a model for children and people, it’s not my aspiration, I don’t feel the need to educate anyone.
“Many would like you to take on these responsibilities, but the education of a child is up to the parent.
“I can be a food for thought, if a family at the table sees Buffon making 700 appearances in Serie A the father could say: ‘See Buffon, besides the man – whom I don’t know – had the character to suffer at certain times, the ability and humility to improve’.
“I want to be this for my children, but I don’t want to put pressure on them.”