Buffon wins Serie A Best Player of the Year Award
This is the sixth straight year that a Juventus player is winning this award.
Published : Nov 28, 2017 18:02 IST
Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon eased some of his World Cup heartache by winning the Serie A Best Player of the Year award at the Gran Gala del Calcio Awards in Milan.
"The failure to participate in the World is the biggest disappointment in my career together with some (lost) Champions league finals," said the 39-year-old Juventus goalkeeper at Monday night's ceremony.
"I'm happy and proud. I never thought I'd get this kind of trophy, and I'll hold on tight to it because I've never won best youngster!"
Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri was named the best coach in the Italian football awards.
Buffon quit international football last month after four-time champion Italy was sensationally knocked out by Sweden in the FIFA World Cup playoff.
"Italy-Sweden was the biggest disappointment of my life. But we need to move on, the season must end in the best way and with Juventus there are so many goals to be achieved," he told Sky Sports Italia.
Buffon won a tenth Serie A title with Juventus, as well as a third Italian Cup title last season. He also helped the Old Lady reach the Champions League final for the second time in three years.
And he left the door open on a future return for the national side.
Read: Buffon open to Italy return
"I've taken a period of rest, I'm getting on, I've always been a soldier signed up for the national side and Juventus, so I can't desert," he said. "Even at the age of 60, if there was a dearth of goalkeepers I'd be available because that's how I conceive the idea of a nation."
It is the sixth straight year that a Juventus player has won this award, following in the footsteps of Andrea Pirlo (2012- 14), Carlos Tevez (2015) and Leonardo Bonucci (2016).
Buffon has said he will retire at the end of the 2017-18 season, unless Juventus win the Champions League title. The Serie A champions play league leaders Napoli on Friday before a crunch Champions League game next week at Olympiakos.