Buffon Resigns After Failure: 'We Failed to Bring Italy Back to the World Cup'
Gianluigi Buffon, the Italian football legend, has announced his resignation from his role with the Azzurri, immediately after the end of the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, affirming that the decision stemmed from a deep inner feeling and a sense of responsibility towards the fans.
In an official statement, Buffon explained that the resignation came spontaneously, "like tears and the pain in the heart" that he shares with the fans, noting that he had been asked to wait a little to allow everyone the time to carry out a thorough assessment of the situation.
He added that, after the decision of federation president Gabriele Gravina to take a step back, he became free to make his final decision, considering that stepping down was the most responsible course of action at this stage.
The Italy national team legend stressed that, despite the considerable work accomplished in terms of the collective spirit within the squad, alongside Gennaro Gattuso and the rest of the staff, the main objective was to bring the Italy national team back to the World Cup, which was not achieved.
He pointed out that it was up to his successor to choose the right person for the post, expressing his great pride in having represented the Italy national team, which he described as an honour and a passion that have accompanied him since childhood.
He also spoke about the project he had worked on, which aims to develop talent from the youth categories all the way up to the under-21 team, by strengthening coordination between the various age groups and adopting a policy based on competence and the specialisation of roles.
Buffon concluded his statement by reaffirming his deep gratitude for this experience, despite its painful ending, saying that he would keep every moment of it in his heart and calling for continued support of the national team: "Forza Azzurri, always."
