New Gianluigi Buffon Contract To Keep Italy Legend Playing For Parma Beyond 46th Birthday

One of Italian football's most revered footballers of all time has signed a contract to extend his playing career beyond his 46th birthday.

Legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who made his debut for Italy in 1997, has put pen to paper on a new deal with Serie B side Parma until June 2024.

Buffon, currently 44, first joined Parma as a youth player in 1991 but left to sign for Juventus in 2001.

After winning 22 trophies in two spells with Juve, either side of a one-year project at Paris Saint-Germain, Buffon returned to Parma last summer when he signed a two-year contract.

But after starting 22 games in Serie B this season, he has done enough to persuade club bosses to extend his stay further.

"This is a great day for me, my family and my agent," Buffon told Parma's official club website. 

"I got what I wanted and I think that the president, fans and city wanted this as well. 

"My return to Parma was based on the profound connection that I have with this city and its people, as well as the great enthusiasm and honesty that the Club president has.

"After seven months in which I have personally done well, it was important to do this as an act of responsibility towards the city and club and to give my total commitment. 

"Away from just the future, I thought that it was important for me in my role to give this outward show of strength and unity, of conviction and belief in what we are doing here.

"I don't feel the need to go after other superfluous and meaningless challenges, this here is still an exciting task, one that I want to do with the entire city, the club's directors and the owner. I feel that I can still make a big contribution: those that have more must give more."

Gianluigi Buffon pictured celebrating Parma's win over SPAL over the weekend

IMAGO/Luca Amedeo Bizzarri

Parma currently sit 13th in the table after 26 rounds of fixtures. They are very unlikely to win promotion to Serie A this season.

But Buffon has already been there, done that and broken the Serie A record for most appearances.

He has played 657 games in Serie A - 10 more than former record holder Paolo Maldini.

Buffon, who won the World Cup in 2006, also holds the record for most caps for Italy, 176, and most appearances for Italy as captain, 80.