As if we needed another reason to love the man.
Italy’s exit on penalties from Euro 2016 last night means that the tournament had to bid farewell to possibly it’s most likeable player, Gianluigi Buffon.
Buffon was already a legend before the tournament, of course, but a series of typically brilliant performances only enhanced his reputation, while he went up in the estimation of Irish fans with his hearty congratulations for Martin O’Neill after Ireland’s defeat of Italy during the group stages.
Buffon has already signalled his intention to play at the World Cup in 2018 so we haven’t seen the last of him yet, but that didn’t prevent him from an emotional meeting with adoring Italian fans outside their hotel as they prepared to depart France on Sunday morning.
Simply the best @gianluigibuffon pic.twitter.com/dkgr5ZHHEi
— Paolo Menicucci (@UEFAcomPaoloM) July 3, 2016
If we were there, we’d have hugged him too. What a man.
