Buffon back to his root after 26 years

In 1995, when Gianluigi Buffon made his professional debut for Parma.

Most of his new team mates were not born. Five-and-a-half years later, after making his first appearance for Italy and cementing himself as one of the best keepers in the world, he moved to the Old ladies of turin (Juventus)in the year 2001 for around €54.5 million. It was a world record for a goalkeeper, that stood for 17 years, until Liverpool signed Alisson (€62.5m) from AS Roma and Kepa Arrizabalaga (€80m) was also signed by Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao.

Twenty years later — and 11 league titles, five domestic cups and a World Cup, Buffon is back where it all started. It’s not surprising, then, that Parma chose to go the superhero route, opting for the #SupermanReturns hashtag in his welcome back video posted on parma twitter account .

“I’m being perfectly honest that when I compare myself now to what I was before, I’ve improved in some areas, where maybe before I was weaker. Obviously, I will have declined in others — that’s normal — but overall, when I look at myself, I don’t feel that I’m poor than I was some years back.kicking is almost equal with either foot, but that’s where I am. I genuinely believe that through repetition, serious training and muscle memory, all with the right mindset, almost nothing is impossible for a human being.”

Back to Parma. When he left in 2001, they were coming off a fine era: nine straight top-five finishes, two Coppa Italia wins, a UEFA Cup and a Cup Winners’ Cup. They were blessed with superstars, from Lilian Thuram to Gianfranco Zola, from Hernan Crespo to Fabio Cannavaro, from Claudio Taffarel to Tino Asprilla. The 16 or so years after that would see the club liquidate, two owners face prison time in separate cases and Parma be reformed in the amateur ranks.

A year ago, they were bought by Kyle Krause an Iowa businessman after being relegated, Buffon will start over in Serie B. Superman retruns, to him the difference is he would start in Serie B not Serie A and it a challenge he relishes. He wants to restore Parma to back to it golden era.