It's a sad day for soccer fans around the world. Gianluigi Buffon, the legendary Italian goalkeeper, has decided to retire from soccer at the age of 45. The Italian player terminated his contract with Parma, who played in Italy's Serie B, to inform his fans that he would be hanging up his gloves after a career full of personal and collective achievements. Of course, the highlight was winning the World Cup in 2006.

Without an official announcement from the goalkeeper, the decision seems to have already been made. La Gazzetta dello Sport, one of Italy's leading sports newspapers, reported this. It would be the end of a 28-year career that saw him wear the jerseys of Parma (1995-2001), Juventus (2001-2018), Paris Saint Germain (2018-2019), Juventus again (2019-2021) and Parma again (2021-2023), his last club as a professional.

Buffon became the player with the most matches in the Seria A (657), a championship in which he also boasts the longest unbeaten streak in history (974 minutes). Apart from the three lost finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2003, 2015 and 2017, a competition that he was never able to win, he conquered 24 titles during his career: 10 scudetti (another record), six Italian Cups, seven Super Cups, one Serie B (the year Juventus was relegated to the B division), one French championship, one French Super Cup and one UEFA Cup.

In terms of individual awards, he was named goalkeeper of the year on five occasions, best goalkeeper in Europe, best goalkeeper of the year, and best goalkeeper of the 2006 World Cup, among many other awards. The best year of his career was 2006, when he lifted the World Cup with the Italian National Team and was one of the most outstanding players on the team.

His performances throughout the year led him to second place in the Ballon d'Or, behind his compatriot Fabio Cannavaro, captain of the Azzurri team. This award, presented since 1956 by France Football magazine, crowns the best soccer player in the world. Had he won it, he would have become only the second goalkeeper in history to do so. That record still belongs to Lev Yashin, the Russian goalkeeper who shone in the 1960s and 1970s.

Buffon intends to remain in the world of soccer, although not as a coach for now. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is rumored to be expecting him as head of the team's delegation, although he will decide when he returns from vacation with his family.