Gianluigi Buffon admits he turned his back on £8.8m following a dispute at PSG which he now admits was the "biggest mistake of his life."
The Italian legend opted to leave Juventus after almost two decades in 2018 and pen a contract with PSG. Despite turning 40 that year, Buffon's stock was still high and the French giants were keen to have him in Paris, where he shared goalkeeping duties.
He and Alphonse Areola were used by Thomas Tuchel, but tempers flared when Buffon took issue with a selection decision. He was informed that his team-mate would be utilised in Europe and opted to leave PSG as a result, leaving behind huge financial rewards, only to see Areola get injured.
Buffon told former Italy team-mate Christian Vieri on his Twitch stream: "Leaving was the biggest mistake of my life, I gave up €10million (£8.8m). They told me that Areola would play in the Champions League and I didn't accept it. For me, the one who deserves it plays. That's why I returned to Juve.
"Then I regretted it , because Areola was injured and they signed Keylor Navas in his place! [Paris] was the most beautiful experience of my life. I felt like a free man. I quickly learned French, talked to people on the street, visited museums... I had the feeling of playing in a great team."
Buffon returned to Turin but has since moved back to Parma and is still playing at the age of 45. The World Cup winner has made 12 appearances in Serie B, but has opened up on the defeat which haunts him most across his near 30-year career.
PSG were knocked out in surprising fashion by Manchester United back in 2019 despite winning the first-leg at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford's stoppage time penalty sealed an iconic win in Paris with Buffon adamant the Parisians were the better outfit.
"I was convinced, we were superior," he added. "We went to Manchester to play the first leg of the round of 16 with United and we dominated, but they eliminated us in the second leg. That was the biggest disappointment of my career."
Buffon has doubled down on that stance, telling Bobo TV : "We threw it away. They played in Paris with children. There was [David] De Gea, [Romelu] Lukaku and Rashford but the others were young. We made a mess, mentally. Probably the biggest regret of my career. We were very strong, a mega team."
