MILAN: On Monday, Gianluigi Buffon agreed to a new contract with Parma that will keep him with the Serie B team until 2024.

Buffon, Parma’s first-choice goalkeeper, will now be able to play professionally until he is 46 years old, according to a one-year contract extension.

“Gigi is a great player, one of Italy’s three best goalkeepers and his renewal is a great pleasure for us,” said Parma president Kyle Krause.

“His passion and dedication for Parma and the city are obvious every time you see him.”

Football legend in Italy Buffon returned to Parma last summer following a two-decade absence from the club where he began his professional career.

With 657 Serie A matches played since making his debut with Parma as a 17-year-old in 1995, the 44-year-old holds the record for most caps for his country.

He has 27 trophies to his name, including the 2006 World Cup and the 1999 UEFA Cup with Parma, where he was a member of the club’s best team ever.

Under the ownership of dairy firm Parmalat, Parma was one of Italy’s premier clubs in the 1990s, winning three major European titles.

The club went bankrupt after Parmalat failed in 2003 as a result of a massive financial fraud scandal. In 2015, they were relegated to Serie D.

In 2018, they returned to the top-level after three consecutive promotions, although they were demoted after finishing bottom of Serie A the previous season.

Buffon’s best years were spent with Juventus, where he won 10 Serie A titles, five Italian Cups, and Serie B in 2007.

Before returning to Juventus, he won Ligue 1 with PSG in 2018-2019, although he has never won the Champions League, losing finals with Juve in 2003, 2015, and 2017.

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