New Deal for Veteran Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon Is No Juventus Gamble

Juventus and Italy No. 1 goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is set to extend his stay with the Turin giants until 2017, after signing a new deal to take him up to 39 years of age.

BBC Sport reports that Buffon, along with centre-back Giorgio Chiellini, has been rewarded with a new contract after helping Juve to three consecutive Serie A titles, while they also sit top of the table after 11 games this season, with the best defensive record in the league.

Headed for his late 30s though Buffon may be, his longevity and consistency prove that the long-term deal is no gamble for his club, and it would be no surprise to see the national team captain continue past his 40th birthday.

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.@gianluigibuffon: “So far in my career, I’ve had a great deal of praise and that makes me proud – I couldn’t ask for more.” #GDay

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) November 20, 2014"

Highest Level

Some players go out at the top, and some hang around for as long as possible, in love with their playing careers even if they have to acknowledge that they cannot perform at their peak level once they surge past a certain age. For goalkeepers, that doesn't necessarily have to be the case; common consent sees them improve after 30 rather than regress, as experience and reading the game well compensate for perhaps declining agility.

Having played well over 40 matches in each of the last two seasons for Juve, winning the title in the process and remaining first choice for his nation as they headed to the World Cup, it's fair to say that Buffon remains right at the top.

Dino Panato/Getty Images

Juve harbour ambitions to compete more fully in the Champions League going forward than they have managed of late—they've reached the quarter-finals once since 2006—and Italy sit joint-top of their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

The keeper himself noted his ambitions of continuing success, per BBC Sport: "I want to continue performing to a high level, so that I can be an asset and a point of reference."

First choice for both club and country, there appears little danger of Buffon running out of challenges in his career any time soon.

Fitness and Form at 40

As mentioned, goalkeepers have more resilience to long-lasting careers than outfield players tend to manage, and it is not uncommon to see stoppers in their late 30s still playing at a high level.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

Quite apart from his body being able to cope with the demands of continual training and playing at that age, Buffon's form and reliability will dictate much of how long he remains first choice, and thus continues to play for Juventus.

His longevity and consistency cannot be questioned. After spending the vast majority of his career with Juve, including during their relegated years, he continues to prove his worth on an almost weekly basis.

Yes, errors can creep through—the recent international break being a prime example as he conceded a shot he would expect to save from Croatia's Ivan Perisic—but by and large, Buffon remains composed, dominant and a rock behind his defence.

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Lippi: "I remember that Buffon made a mistake in his first game at Juventus, then we won 3-2. I told him not to be mad about it" 1/2

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) November 18, 2014"

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Lippi on Buffon: "Because since he never makes mistake, the one time he does, everybody sees it." 2/2

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) November 18, 2014"

There is little reason to suspect that will change over the coming two or three seasons during his new deal.

End Game?

So just how much more can Buffon achieve?

LUCA BRUNO/Associated Press

He's a World Cup winner with Italy and has been to five World Cup finals already, but even if he remains No. 1 for Juve at age 40, it's a stretch to suggest he might remain first choice internationally, too, for the 2018 finals. Euro 2016 is another matter; he takes part in the qualifiers and would expect to go to France once Italy qualify. Are they a realistic challenger? Not right now, but 18 months is a long time in football.

One thing he already holds is the caps record for Italy: 146, 10 more than second-place Fabio Cannavaro. He actually places 17th in international football history with that tally; only 14 have managed a full 150 or more, and up until Euro 2016 ends, Buffon can reasonably expect to reach around 160 or so himself.

For Juve, titles and trophies are an obvious season-by-season ambition, but Buffon has been around a long time and earlier this season played his 500th game for the Turin side. By the end of this season he'll have made the third-highest number of appearances for them in their history and come the end of his new deal, second place will be his.

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ON THIS DAY in 1997 Gianluigi Buffon made his Italy debut Tonight he's set to make his 500th appearance for Juventus pic.twitter.com/iqqXaLHdCv

— InsideWorldFootball (@insidewldftball) October 29, 2014"

Does his hunger go on long enough to challenge the legendary Alessandro Del Piero for that particular record, the most appearances ever for Juventus?

"Praise from the club makes me proud of the choice I made 14 years ago," says Buffon.

The club will be equally delighted with the decision they made at the time, for which they are set to continue reaping the rewards for some time to come yet.

Follow @karlmatchett