Gianluigi Buffon Ends 17-Year Juventus Career With Win, Serie A Title

Legendary Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon was substituted out at about the hour mark of today’s match against Verona. The appearance will be the last in Buffon’s incredible 17-year run at Juventus. As you can imagine, it was an emotional moment:

Before the match, Buffon did a round of Allianz Stadium, greeting and shaking hands with fans. The Serie A title was wrapped well before today’s relatively meaningless match, making it an ideal moment for Buffon to make a token appearance and soak up the adoration of Juventus fans one final time. Mostly I just want to show you this photo, of a little kid losing his shit:

17 seasons is a long, long time, especially to maintain form as a good player on a winning team. Buffon made over 500 career appearances for Juventus, and another 176 over 21 years as a member of Italy’s national team. Buffon confirmed Thursday that this would be his final match for Juventus, although he hasn’t completely ruled out continuing his career elsewhere. MLS seems an unlikely destination—Buffon reportedly said he was not interested in playing in any “minor league.”