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Two key cornerstones of the Juventus legacy will remain in place for the upcoming 2020-21 season as well. The club today announced that Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini have both extended their stays at the club by one more year.
The veteran pair signed one-year extensions on their current contracts, thereby ensuring more continuity in next year’s squad as manager Maurizio Sarri continues to put his stamp on the team starting with the transfer swap of Miralem Pjanic for Arthur Melo from Barcelona.
The news was announced today on the club website, with additional notes on the tenure of both players who have served as captain for the storied club.
Buffon arrived at Juventus in July 2001 from Parma as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper at the time, and apart from his one season away at Paris St. Germain last year, has backstopped the club to multiple trophies and titles in that time. The goalie will turn 43 in January next year, and has already broken handfuls of records for longevity both at club and national level. Buffon has featured 669 times for the Bianconeri, conceding 527 goals with 316 clean sheets.
Chiellini turns 36 in two months, and marks 15 years since joining from Fiorentina in the summer of 2005. The current club captain is recovering from an injury earlier this season and hasn’t featured since earlier this year. The hard-nosed defender has been the bedrock of Juventus’ famed backlines over the years, having played in 509 games for the Old Lady, scoring 36 goals with 21 assists.
Juventus as a club have been fortunate to have two outstanding footballers and teammates such as Buffon and Chiellini to still grace the black and white jersey, and as fans we continue to celebrate the successes that have come as a result of their efforts.