Buffon reflects on 2006 WC win with 'bitterness' amid Italy's slump

Gianluigi Buffon reflects on Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup win, calling it a milestone celebrated with 'gratitude but with a touch of bitterness' given the national side's failure to qualify for the last three World Cups.

Italy's FIFA World Cup-winning legend Gianluigi Buffon reflected on the country's last FIFA World Cup win 20 years on this day, saying that the milestone will be celebrated with "gratitude but with a touch of bitterness", given the national men's side's failure to qualify for three FIFA World Cups on a trot.

On this day in 2006, Italy overcame France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. The win marked Italy's fourth World Cup win. However, in the next two editions, Italy fared badly, registering group stage exits in 2010 and 2014. In the 2010 edition hosted by South Africa, heading as defending champions, Italy failed to win even a single match. Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 editions.

A qualification in 2026 looked on the cards for Italy as during the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers final earlier this year, they suffered a heartbreaking exit from the World Cup qualification race after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a tense penalty shootout (4-1), marking their third consecutive failure to reach the global tournament. To put things in perspective, 2026 is also the year when Italy made its debut in the ICC T20 World Cup, leaving a strong impression on cricket fans with a 10-wicket win over Nepal and a strong showing against 2022 champions England, where they fell 24 runs short of England's 203-run target.

'A Day That Belongs to an Entire Nation'

Taking to X, Buffon posted, "There are days that don't belong just to those who lived them. They belong to an entire nation. July 9, 2006, is one of those days. Twenty years later, that memory still holds the same power: the embrace of an extraordinary group, the joy of millions of Italians, the pride of having worn that jersey and of having written a page of history together. Today, we celebrate that milestone with gratitude, but also with a touch of bitterness." https://x.com/gianluigibuffon/status/2075142729164583286

Buffon said that the win would have been nice to recall while Italy was "once again a protagonist on the world's most important soccer stage". But keeping the love for the badge alive years after his retirement, he said, "that the love for the azzurro never changes and never fades."

"It is a bond that transcends time, victories, disappointments, and fresh starts. Thanks to my teammates, to the staff, to all the Italians who dreamed with us. That night will forever remain one of the most beautiful pages in our history. And it will continue to remind us what it means to represent Italy. Yesterday, today, and with even more passion and determination in the future," he signed off. (ANI)

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