38-year-old star Italian goalie has a great explanation for why he cut back on pasta and wine
Marco Luzzani/Getty
Otherwise, Buffon is one of the legendary goalies in soccer, a winner of several individual awards to go with five World Cup appearances, including a victory in 2006.
How has Buffon managed such a lengthy, successful career, particularly on a surgically repaired lower back?
He told The Wall Street Journal's Joshua Robinson that "rage" has fueled his career.
And to fuel that rage, Buffon has had to make sacrifices, particularly on the nutritional end. As Robinson notes, Buffon may have had to make the biggest sacrifice an Italian athlete can make: pasta and wine.
"In a week I might have eaten pasta nine or 10 times and now I eat it maybe five times. If I drank 10 glasses of wine a week before, now I drink two," Buffon told Robinson. "It's not that you perform better because you drink three fewer glasses of wine. But giving up a pleasure is a way to give you that rage."
It's important to note that Buffon's logic is not similar to the logic of nutrition-conscious athletes like Tom Brady. Brady refuses unhealthy foods to help with recovery time and avoid inflammation. Doing so has helped extend his career.
Buffon appears more interested in the mental aspect of it - deny himself his ideal amount of pasta and wine, and he'll be burning up when he's on the field.
If he helps Italy with the European Championships for the first time in his career, the dietary sacrifice will be worthwhile.
- Top temples to visit in India you must visit atleast once in a lifetime
- Top 10 adventure sports across India: Where to experience them in 2024
- Market recap: Valuation of 6 of top 10 firms declines by Rs 68,417 cr; Airtel biggest laggard
- West Bengal Elections: Rift among INDIA bloc partners triggers three-cornered intense contests
- Angel Investing Opportunities
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market