Gianluigi Buffon is determined to help Parma seal an immediate return to Serie A after joining the club on a free transfer from Juventus.
The veteran goalkeeper made the decision to follow his former club into Serie B despite having offers from elsewhere, and he recognised the importance of helping I Gialloblu get back into the top flight at the first time of asking as a sort of repayment for their part in his growth over 20 years ago.
“Parma helped me on the way up,” Buffon said at his unveiling on Tuesday night. “Now it’s time to help the club get back to where they belong.”
But the 43-year-old is under no illusions as to how complicated life in Serie B can be, having spent a season there with Juventus post-calciopoli.
“I know how tough Serie B is because I’ve played in it,” Buffon said. “Even though we [Juve] ended up cruising to victory it took us at Juventus 10-15 games to settle in the second tier.
“We drew lots of games or won them by the odd goal.”
