Are we really taking the 'impossible' at face value? Obviously Gigi is a widely beloved player for many reasons, including the way he conducts himself now. I'm sure if you took every players late teens/early twenties and looked for any little issue you'd not find a likeable player in the world (if that's the standard we're holding them to).
I mean, 1999 and 2001, people were barely even starting to use the internet. Information was not nearly as readily available especially to an older teen/adult whose life was football and grew up without the internet or computers readily available.
But ey, it is what it is. It's not surprising for this to be a talking point right now tbh.
As opposed to at what other value?
Overstating the case, but even so, how many of those "little issues" equate to supporting fascism/neo-nazism? I wouldn't call what Buffon did a "little issue."
Agreed, it is what it is and it's not surprising for this to be a talking point right now.
his Parma days were like 15 years ago. A man grows and learns, just take a look at Ali some of his dumb reasonings and things said at some point in his life. I have no knowledge of any other controversial incidents from Buffon in this regards. Therefore, I must deduce he has learned and changed and moved on. I have no access to his thoughts, so that's my conclusion. Furthermore, I have seen nothing but class act from him since far back as I can recall.
Maybe he has changed. No one is denying that as a possibility.
Hell, even his girlfriend thinks he's an OK guy, though she seems to confirm him being a fascist and she's not entirely referring to him as such in the past tense. Again, though maybe he's not.
Is it possible to keep this political stuff out of this thread, please? It's annoying.
If picking 88 is evil, so is 18. Ridiculous.
So let's keep it out of the thread, but let me comment either way. Right.
As has already been stated, completely different.
People change
When I was a teen I loved Real Madrid
Ok I still love them
Fixed that for you.
Irony of ironies? The people slagging Buffon were defending Suarez for the racist crap he uttered while playing for Liverpool.
I'm not slagging Buffon. I'm providing facts about him in the context of him being said to be "classy" and "impossible to hate."
As for Suarez, provide proof as to how I defended him. My take is now as it was back then (and if I wasn't clear on this forum I was on another, but either way let me be crystal clear here). What I understand him to have said to Evra is a term that I have heard in "Latin" culture here. That said I can think of no other reason for him to have said it to Evra other than as a racial slur. So I've not then nor am I now remotely defending Suarez. In fact I am of the belief that he did racially abuse Evra. The only thing that I defended Suarez on, and I'm not sure I said it here, was that he didn't do anything wrong during the "handshake" incident in the aftermath as it was abundantly clear that Evra initially was refusing to shake hands with Suarez. Now, and I'm pretty positive I noted this at the time, Suarez could have made more of a point to shake his hand after that initial refusal, but that incident was down to Evra. Anyway, again, let's have some proof of me "defending Suarez for the racist crap he uttered."
I'm not slagging Buffon, as I already said, I doubt very much he holds those views now.
I said "I can see why somebody wouldn't like him," and then I pointed out why. Holding those views in the past is why. I can also see why somebody would hate Suarez, given that he said things that were at best racially insensitive and racist at worst. Please read.
Exactly, and I'll leave it here. If somebody wants to swim in the "coincidence" **** they can go right ahead.