Buffon: ‘ Ashamed of what I said to referee Oliver, but I’d still do it again’ after 2018 fury

MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 11: Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus argues with the referee Michael Oliver during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final scond leg match between Real Madrid and Juventus at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 11, 2018 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Gianluigi Buffon admits he is ‘ashamed’ of what he said to referee Michael Oliver after a Juventus defeat, but at the same time ‘if I had to go back and do it all again, I’d say the exact same thing.’

The now retired goalkeeper is working as team manager of the Italy squad under coach Luciano Spalletti and was at a book fair in Turin to present his new book.

It looks back over his career and life, so he was asked about some of his experiences, including the more controversial moments.

Buffon had long and at times contentious career

These include his rapport with referees, such as the infamous Byron Moreno, who officiated Italy’s 2002 World Cup exit to South Korea.

“I loved almost all referees I encountered,” laughed Buffon.

“Everyone saw – rightly – that Moreno was the real enemy that got us eliminated. It was probably our fault too, but the way he officiated that match was vile. When we emerged from the airport, there was almost applause for us.”

Mixed feelings for Buffon about Oliver spat

Buffon also felt hard done by when Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League after staging a dramatic fightback against Real Madrid in April 2018, seeing a last-minute penalty given against them.

The goalkeeper lashed out angrily and was sent off for dissent, later telling reporters: “You’d have to be an animal to do that, have a trash can in place of a heart.”

Now seven years on, what does he think about that moment?

“Ah, one of the high points of my career,” Buffon laughed.

“Now that a few years have gone by, I am ashamed of what I said. I was old enough to know better, I represented someone, I was the captain. However, I must also admit that if I had to go back and do it all again, I’d say the exact same thing.

“At that moment, it wasn’t just a defeat, it was something special, an epic comeback, in an epic stadium, with a squad that showed special character and unity, we were crazy and dreamers. To this day I don’t know why I was sent off, so the anger in the interviews was also down to that.”