Gianluigi Buffon said Monday that he
was ready to do his bit to help Italy rebuild as he was
presented as the national team's new delegation chief after
wrapping up his glorious playing career at the end of last
season.
"Being here makes me a happy man," the 2006 World Cup-winner
said at Italy's base at Coverciano near Florence, where the
Azzurri have started preparing for the upcoming Euro 2024
qualifiers against North Macedonia in Skopje and Ukraine in
Milan.
"I am returning to an environment that I think I know quite
well," added the former goalkeeping great and Juventus and Italy
captain.
"I'll have to lay a little building block in all the dynamics
that we'll experience".
Buffon joints new Azzurri coach Luciano Spalletti's backroom
staff in a position last held by another former Italy great,
Gianluca Vialli, who died at the age of 58 in January after a
battle with pancreatic cancer.
"I had an extraordinary relationship with him," Buffon said in
relation to Vialli.
"It would be wrong to be arrogant enough to think I can be
immediately as good. I'll try to always be myself".
When asked what sort of national team he'd like to see, he
replied: "a generous one, capable of exciting people again".
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