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Published 10:53 12 Apr 2018 BST
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"If you want to be that protagonist, sit in the ground with your wife. The referee has a trash can where his heart should be."Buffon's reaction seemed unbecoming and out of character. The 40-year-old has always come across as a great sportsperson, and his respect for his opponents - such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Harry Kane - has been evident this season. The significance of the match doesn't justify Buffon's actions, but it does in part explain why he was so angry and reacted the way he did.
The Italian goalkeeper will retire at the end of the season, and the Champions League is the only major honour he has not won in his illustrious club career. Of course, regardless of what happened at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, Buffon has had a fantastic career. The 40-year-old has won eight Serie A titles, the World Cup and has won an astonishing 176 caps for Italy. Only Paolo Maldini has played more games in the Italian top flight.
The football romantics would have loved to see the legendary goalkeeper lift the Champions League trophy at the final in Kiev on May 26th, but he has had a phenomenal career and achieved more than most professional footballers could dream of.
This ignominious end to his career in the Champions League doesn't taint how consistently brilliant he has been for over 20 years, and that was reflected in the reaction of the Real Madrid fans as Buffon made his way off the pitch on Wednesday night.
The supporters in the Bernabeu rose to give the Juventus goalkeeper a standing ovation. Buffon clearly had other things on his mind at the time, but he would surely have appreciated the gesture from the demanding Madrid crowd, who reserve such receptions for truly special footballers.
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