Top 61 Quotes & Sayings by Gianluigi Buffon

It's fine to admit being nervous - after the event. But if you tell people you're uptight before the game, it can be like, 'That guy's got problems. We can't trust him.'

I followed tennis a little. I liked Lendl, Edberg, and Rafter.

Don't be a keeper.

I started to play, like all kids do, not as a goalkeeper. I liked scoring goals; in the end, it's all about scoring goals.

The role of a goalkeeper is difficult to judge, above all if you haven't been a goalkeeper. It's like me giving an opinion on someone's job without having had any experience in their sector. You start to realise how many stupid things are said and written about goalkeepers.

To the fans, it does not matter a damn how you are. You are seen as the footballer, the idol, so no one thinks to stop and ask you, 'Hey, how are you?'

The pitch is the most beautiful part of the game; it gives you emotions which bring meaning to life.

I have not lost an awful lot in my life, but the defeats have taught me more than the victories.

Maybe I'm the only footballer who isn't interested in cars. My Lancia Y gets me around.

Would I still be playing at the top level at the age of 37 years if I had any weaknesses?

My first memory of the national team is the 1982 World Cup. I remember those days at our home or at my uncle's house, with all the family and those long dinners watching the matches. But I also remember that, during the games, I went outside or onto the balcony to play.

I really hate strikers.

I cannot appreciate anybody who creates controversy over things which do not exist. I can tolerate controversy over things which truly happened, but not over inexistent things.

In this job, you accept criticism and give answers on the field.

I was 12 when I turned my back on my goal. And I will keep doing it as long as my legs, my head, and my heart will allow.

If I do something, I do it with the idea to get to the top - without that, I would stop living.

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I think that's normal for someone who wants to grow and develop. You will have to overcome plenty of obstacles, and it is normal that you should stumble sometimes.

When you're on the field, you've got to deliver. It doesn't matter what you potentially could deliver or what you might be able to deliver in future - you've got to deliver it there and then.

My dad suggested I change and try to play in goal. I always liked being at the heart of the action, trying to experience different situations and different challenges. One year, I decided to try playing in goal - after that, I was going to go back to playing outfield.

I have not lost an awful lot in my life, but the defeats have taught me more than the victories. Whenever I lose, I focus on the ability of my opponent and on the mistakes I made.

There is certainly a future for Italian football, as we have pride, ability, determination, and after bad tumbles, we always find a way to get back on our feet.

I can no longer understand what the parameters are for valuing a player. It's all too random and in the hands of whoever has more money.

Messi is an alien that dedicates himself to playing with humans.

Up to 30 years old, I was carried by natural talent, combined with a good level of professionalism. But since turning 30, I've gained a desire to sweat in the real sense of the word, to understand where I need to improve. Competitiveness, now, is essential.

When you go somewhere and think it will be your last time there, you always appreciate the beauty of it even more and want to crystallise emotions that you will keep with you forever.

When you have the chance to play a Champions League final, you have to win it.

I don't want to disrespect anyone, but it's clear that any team which has the chance to play with Messi, Suarez, and Neymar has devastating attacking power, which any coach would love at his disposal.

Even if I were offered twice my salary elsewhere, I would stay at Juve. Doing so would make me proud, as it is a worthy thing to do.

Every kid thinks about scoring rather than not conceding.

The day I quit, I want people to be sad about it.

Everyone gets scared from time to time. It's totally normal, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

In football, you win as a group, you lose as a group; you divide the credit and the blame.

How do I imagine my last-ever game? Maybe I'll go out like Zidane, headbutting someone on the pitch!

I don't give advice, because I always made my own mistakes and would only be adding further chaos to the situation.

More than anything else, I'm a very calm person in the sense that I don't worry about the future and what my life could be. I just have to face it, and I'll face it with enthusiasm as well as the desire and curiosity to test myself.

Who knows? I might retire at the age of 65.

In the end, you need to be a little masochistic to be a goalkeeper. A masochist and egocentric as well.

Even though the Premier League is a special league, I have always wanted to stay loyal to Juventus.

If I can push myself up to the 2018 World Cup, then I'll go on. After that, I'll close the door and stop playing football.

I have a wealth of experience, but I do not want to coach. I rather like the role of recruiter.

I do not need to hear how I am judged by others. I know by myself if I can be satisfied or not with my work.

Often, there are fallacies when a journalist or a fan and sometimes even a coach who has never been a goalkeeper sees a cross in the six-yard box and says he should come out.

I do not take to the field to defend myself from certain criticisms. If I do, in this kind of career, it is because I'm very self-critical.

I went through a lot of changes and a period of depression. I'd reached an age when I had to grow up and start taking life a bit more seriously, which had a huge impact on me. I suffered terrible anxiety, and sometimes, in the middle of a game, my legs would start shaking uncontrollably. It was pretty scary.

Pogba is one of those players who leaves you speechless.

People don't mind you feeling low if you are still performing. But if you've shared too much, and suddenly your performance dips, that's when they start doubting you.

In my opinion, there are fewer and fewer great goalkeepers because, with respect to when I started, they have to do so much more compared with in the past.

I believe in doing the right things; that is my character and personality.

No record belongs to just one person, and there are no number ones outside of a group.

Whenever I lose, I focus on the ability of my opponent and on the mistakes I made.

I took what I've been given, and I got where I did on the basis of something that is often undervalued - merit.

Not looking for excuses is the right thing to do. I have made a lot of mistakes, and I still make mistakes, but I am not ashamed to look for the reasons behind those mistakes.

I thought psychologists were people who rob, figuratively of course, money from the insecure. But they are not. They are people who are there to help you, and if you find a good psychologist, they will allow you to talk about everything and open up, without the slightest of fears, and that is no easy thing.

The important thing is to be ready when the team needs me. As long as I can do that, I consider myself satisfied and happy.

My worst vice is gluttony. I try to keep myself under control because I'm an athlete, but once a week I like to pig out and act like a normal person.

You score goals as a kid. Then you grow up stupid and become a goalkeeper.

On the field I defend our colours, love our flag and sing our anthem. I could not be more Italian than I am now.

The men can go away, the executives can go away, but what is really though in this society are the players who has been handed down the feel of winning, of being the absolute best, which isn't equal to any other team.

I don't watch penalties in my hotel room. I watch naughty videos

I would say that I am having less sex now that I’m playing in Serie B – there is more to think about in this division.