11 May 2017
BUFFON SIMPLY THE BEST
“Gigi is without doubt the greatest goalkeeper there has ever been in the history of football. I feel lucky to be playing together with him and I hope for a long while yet.
“The BBC is just like a wall. I’ve memories of coming up against them (Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini) as an opponent and it was tough! Now I really enjoy having them on my team.
“There are many adjectives to describe Dani Alves. He’s a phenomenal player. Gonzalo (Higuain) is a natural-born goalscorer.”
MARCHISIO'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PROMISE
“The summer I joined Juventus, I was invited to watching the Champions League final in Berlin. That was the first time I met my new team-mates and I returned with them on the plane home. They all gave me a warm welcome and Claudio in particular spoke about how we had to make sure we reached another final.
“I’ve never forgotten that moment and now that we’ve managed to get there again, I hope the result will be very different this time around.”
PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT OF 2016/17
“The week between the two Barcelona matches was very special for me. I was in great physical shape, my confidence was sky-high and I believe that was one of the best moments of my career.
“My favourite goals this season would have to be the free-kick against Palermo and my second strike against Barcelona.”
A WORD ON ZIDANE, JUVE'S PAST NO. 21
“I’d have like to have played with Zidane. Everyone knows what a great footballer he was. I admired his technique, the way he glided across the pitch and dribbled past opponents, making the difficult things look so easy. Now he’s proving that he’s a successful coach as well.”
RARING TO GO FOR JUVE
“Rome is one of my favourite cities in the world and the Stadio Olimpico is where I made my debut in Italy for Palermo, so it’s a special place for me.
“We’re very focused on the game against Roma. We know it won’t be at all easy. Coming up against the Giallorossi never is because they’ve great players, not only Francesco Totti who I hope to greet if I get close to him.
“It’s true that all we need is a draw, but we always go into matches for the victory.”
GROWING UP THE JUVE WAY
“I think I’ve really grown a lot within the Juventus mentality, always looking to win every game no matter the opponent. The manager has helped us and me personally a great deal over these two years. Thanks to him, I’ve developed my skills but also my personality on the pitch.”
FREE-KICK COMPETITION WITH DEL PIERO
“That’s right. Alessandro and I have talked and now we know that we’ll have to wait until after the Champions League final on 3 June in order to take each other on. Buffon will be in goal. It will be a lot of fun I’m sure!”
