The Weight Of Replacing Gianluigi Buffon
The legend is gone. Gigi’s out of town and on to a new adventure in tilting France, something we would have never said was about to happen just a couple years ago. His heir, though, is already in Turin. The wait is over for him, and Juventu’s goal is about to change guard.
After 17 years wearing the same shirt, Gianluigi Buffon left Juventus and completed a move to France. In the capital of the newly crowned World Cup champion nation, Paris Saint-Germain fans will be able to–at least at times–enjoy the Italian myth’s talents live, which, until 1 year ago, was something unimaginable. With this change of scenery and forced by necessity, Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny was the replacement chosen by Juve as the substitute of one of the greatest idols in the history of the Vecchia Signora.
Hired from AS Roma in 2017, the goalkeeper arrived in Turin already knowing that Buffon would leave the club in the near future, most probably by the end of the season when his contract was due to finish, either by retiring or transferring to another place. He had little more than a year to prepare and learn to the maximum alongside, for many respectable voices, the greatest goalkeeper in the history of football. No other goalkeepers have been mentioned as Gigi’s replacement at Juve’s net lately, which proves, once and for all, that Szczęsny will be the starter come next season. Yes, there is Mattia Perin, the 25-year-old Italian, but it feels like he’ll be the one taking over–both at club and international level–in a few years rather than now, when Wojciech steps down.
Next season, great news awaits Juventus. So far, Higuaín looks closer and closer to joining Chelsea and be led by Sarri, Cristiano Ronaldo arrives to raise the level of the whole team and, behind the crossbar, there will be a face different from the one we have been so accustomed to. Surely, fans will have to get used to this new life, one in which the Turin-based club will feature a new goalkeeper in their goal while their long-time idol acts in France for another club.
In order to avoid criticism and doubts, it will be necessary that Szczęsny does not feel the weight and the responsibility of his new role, although we all know it must be present. Let’s hope the Polish knows how to play his football, just as he did in Rome and in the games he already played in his current club’s shirt. The experience is already there, and it’s only a shadow–rather big, though–what he’ll need to clear with his brightness.
