MX23RW : Wednesday, December 25 17:09:10| >> :600:606301:606301:

Roberto Mancini leaves door open for Gianluigi Buffon Italy return

Italy boss Roberto Mancini hints that he has not ruled out return to the national team for Gianluigi Buffon.

Italy boss Roberto Mancini has hinted towards the possibility of a return to the national team for Gianluigi Buffon.

The 41-year-old last featured for the Azzurri during a 2-0 friendly defeat to Argentina in March 2018 ahead of announcing his retirement soon after.

Buffon, a celebrated figure of the game, made 176 appearances for the national team across 21 years, winning the World Cup in 2006.

Reflecting on the possibility of a farewell appearance, Mancini told Rai Sports: "It was the president's idea and I agreed with him. It would be great if we could make it happen.

"As for whether it'll be at the Euros, we'll see."

Mancini's side secured qualification for Euro 2020 this month with wins over Greece and Liechtenstein.

The boss has made considerable changes to the squad since Italy failed to reach the World Cup for the first time in 60 years following a playoff defeat to Sweden, with only one player from that starting XI in 2017 - Leonardo Bonucci - featuring in a recent 2-0 win over Greece.

ID:375773: cacheID:375773:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2329:
Written by
Leo Nieboer
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal against Tottenham on July 21, 2019
Read Next:
How Juventus could line up against Leverkusen
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!