Buffon stuns fans in Turin by taking off his shorts and throwing them at the Juventus faithful

ITALIAN goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stunned fans at the Allianz Stadium in Turin last night by taking off his shorts and throwing them into the crowd at the end of the Uefa Champions League match between Juventus and Barcelona.

Buffon, 39, is Italy's most capped player ever and earlier this month, he bid a tearful farewell to the national team after it was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup. Dearly loved by fans right across Italy, Buffon, the Azzurri skipper who made his international debut, is seen as a national icon.

In an act that stunned fans last night, he took off his orange shorts after the match and threw them into the stands. Barcelona advanced to the last 16 of the Champions League after the 0-0 draw in Turin but Juventus remain second in the group and can secure their qualification with victory over  Olympiakos on December 5.

An exuberant Buffon ran to hug Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic after the game following a social media exchange on the eve of the game when the Croatian had said he would love to tell the Italian goalkeeping great to take his place in the 2018 World Cup. After embracing Rakitic, Buffon then pulled off his orange shorts and ran towards the tunnel in his Y-fronts to the cheers of the delighted crowd.

Buffon said: “This is only a point tonight but it’s a good point. It’s always a pleasure and an honour to play against great champions, like Ivan Rakitic.”

Over the last 20 years, Buffon has earned a record 175 caps for Italy and had been targeting a record sixth World Cup appearance in Russia. Playing in what is likely to be his final season with Juventus, Buffon has one final ambition, to win the Champions League, after finishing runner-up twice over the past three years.

Buffon announced his international retirement after the 1-0 play-off defeat to Sweden which saw Italy miss the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. many regard him as the best goalkeeper ever.