Gianluigi Buffon: 'Original and incredible'

Before heading back to Paris, the iconic goalkeeper looked back on the Qatar Tour 2019.

Gigi, this trip to Doha has been an opportunity to put in some hard training for the second half of the season...
"Yes, absolutely. I have always thought that it's very important to have a break during a season to recharge the batteries. Coming here, to a new place that I didn't know, discovering a new environment, with an incredible climate, for a few days has helped the whole team come closer to each other and created more connections. I hope this tour of Qatar will help us achieve our objectives in the second half of the season."

You did some driving in the desert. How was that?
"When you drive fast through the dunes, you sometimes get the feeling the car is tipping too much and will roll over. It was very impressive. It was a superb experience. I had never gone to the desert before that. I was looking forward to it, because honestly, it's always a pleasure to do those kinds of things with the club, always very original and often incredible. It's very interesting for our fans and all those who follow us to see what we're doing."

Did you imagine that a footballer could spend so much time in front of a camera?
"Not to that extent! It wasn't exactly like that before. Football has changed, changed a lot, during the last five or ten years. It's become a modern phenomenon. Ten or 12 years ago, it didn't exist. Having said that, it's a great way of entertaining our fans around the world and of doing something different and new."

Have you thought of being an actor after your career?
"No, not at all! Impossible...We all have to follow our own path, and my life isn't taking me in that direction. My destiny is to be a footballer, and that won't change."