The Italian squad are heading home from France after being knocked out of Euro 2016 by Germany in the quarter finals.
Germany progressed to secure a semi-final showdown against the winners of France and Iceland after defeating the Azzuri in a penalty shoot-out.
Unfortunately, this means that we've seen the last of Gianluigi Buffon's participation in the competition as his goalkeeping heroics were not enough to inspire a win against the Germans.
We've always been a big fan of the 38-year-old living legend, but he elevated himself to a level above this in the eyes of Irish supporters when he embraced Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane following the Republic of Ireland's memorable Group E victory over Italy.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/746608719354531840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As much as we're going to miss Gigi in France, it's nothing compared to what the Italian supporters are going through at the moment.
A video has emerged of Buffon saying his goodbyes to the loyal Italian support in France before leaving for home and as you can see (or hear, rather), the man's essentially a God to them. The crowd can be heard screaming for their hero as he came over and hugged several fans who had shown up to see him off.
https://twitter.com/UEFAcomPaoloM/status/749595451972878336
