Lippi takes no offence to Buffon comments

Gianluigi Buffon has been coached under multiple sucessful managers throughout the years as the starting goalkeeper for Juventus, and for the Italian national team.

He was coached by Marcello Lippi on both international and domestic levels.

Recently, Buffon was quoted saying that Antonio Conte (his current coach at Juventus) was the best coach he had ever had.  When asked whether he was offended by this, Lippi claimed he was not.

“Buffon is a person so beautiful, cheerful, clean and serious, that if he said that then it is because he thinks it,” Lippi said to TMW.

“It doesn’t give me any negative thoughts. It’s a good thing because it is a sincere consideration, an honest opinion,” he added.

Under Antonio Conte, Buffon won the Scudetto last season, and they are currently sitting atop the Serie A table.  Also, Conte has managed to help Juventus rise back to the top of European football, as they will now face Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Conte’s success has led to speculation that he may be moving abroad this summer.

Lippi mentioned that he believes Italian coaches like Conte should stay in Italy as long as possible, adding that life for him in China is difficult not only for Italians but all Europeans.

Lippi, when crossing paths with Buffon at Juventus won the league in 2002 and 2003, the Supercoppa Italiana twice, and reached the Champions League final only to lose to AC Milan in 2003.  When Lippi coached Italy on the International stage, Buffon helped lead the Azzurri to World Cup glory in 2006, but later failed to qualify from the group stage in 2010.