Many footballers would hide themselves away after their team was agonisingly eliminated from a major tournament quarter-final on penalties. Not 'Gigi'.
The 38-year-old Italian goalkeeper is enjoying a few weeks' break after helping his country to the last eight of Euro 2016. Buffon had a fine tournament but endured the ignominy of diving over Germany's game-clinching penalty.
Sure, it hurt like hell but Buffon held his head as high as he could and saluted the Italian fans that had urged him on. He was one the first, too, to embrace the triumphant Germans and wish them all the best. It was exactly what he did after witnessing Ireland's heroics in Lille:
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/746608719354531840
The following day, with Italy heading home,
he embraced those same fans outside the team hotel. It was a beautiful moment.
The classiness has continued on Buffon's vacation as he played football with local children at the coastal town of Marina
di Massa, near Pisa.
Still catching the crosses and distributing with aplomb. Not in bad shape at all either.
https://twitter.com/GliAzzurriNews/status/753642187208941568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As the tweet declares, the man is a real role model for the next generation of Italian footballers.
