Gianluigi Buffon stated he dreamed of playing for Real Madrid in the Italian legend’s formative years growing up in the Tuscany region.
Reports circulated in the summer of 2004 that the eight-time Serie A goalkeeper of the year and World Cup winner was reportedly close to playing for Real Madrid, however Buffon opted to stay in Turin where he has cemented his place amongst the greatest Italian players and currently ranks 4th on Juventus’ all-time appearance list.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper AS Buffon admitted of his childhood fascination for the Spanish giants.
“Certainly when I was a boy I dreamed of playing at Real Madrid as well as the other big, traditional clubs that were always winning,” Buffon said.
“But I’m not sure how much interest there really was at Real Madrid as they’ve always had very good goalkeepers.”
Iker Cassilas had already established himself for Los Blancos by 2004, helping capture the Champions League trophy two years prior.
When asked about the missing piece Juventus need to win the Champions League, Buffon responded, “A Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo. With those players, the game starts off at 1–0.”
Juventus will learn their Champions League Round of 16 opponent on Monday as the Bianconeri advanced from Group A alongside last year’s finalists Atletico Madrid.
