Gianluigi Buffon suggests he could carry on playing after this season

The 40-year-old has previously stated that this season will be his last, after retiring from international duty with Italy following their failure to qualify for the World Cup.

However, when speaking ahead of Juventus’ midweek Serie A match against Atalanta Buffon suggested he may be prepared to carry on playing.

“Motivation is everything. As long as I want to suffer, to fight, I'll continue.” Buffon said.

“After the passion that motivated me in my first years, I set myself the goal of having a challenge, to always fight for a bigger objective.

“What makes me happy is the fact that, whatever my future will be, I feel very serene and gratified for what my career has been, and for what I think I've given to Juventus, Parma, the national team and all of football.

“'I know I have always worked with extreme seriousness and unselfishness, putting the good of the group ahead of my own.”

The one trophy missing from Buffon’s glittering resume is the Champions League, having lost in the final in two of the last three seasons.

He has been vocal about his desire to one day win it and Juventus are into this year’s quarter-finals following their 4-3 aggregate victory over Tottenham Hotspur.