"Buffon spent most of the night smoking in the hotel corridor with half the Italy team. At breakfast nobody could speak. They turned up at the stadium already feeling exhausted."
"Before kick-off he stripped naked and sat in the dressing room talking to his goalie gloves. I started a discussion with them. It was as if that inseparable instrument of my work could give something back to me."
"With four weeks still to run it is striking how a Premier League season previously dismissed as room temperature fare has boiled down not just to a gripping finish, but more to a kind of widescreen psychodrama."
Gianluigi Buffon reveals his struggles with nerves even at the height of his career, particularly before the 2006 World Cup final. He and Gennaro Gattuso felt intimidated by the French squad's presence. Buffon coped by engaging with his goalie gloves in a unique way, which helped him find calmness. This led to his success during the match, culminating in Italy's victory. The current Premier League season reflects similar pressures, with teams facing mental challenges that could determine their outcomes.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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