Buffon warns PSG: Rich clubs don't always win

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has said Paris Saint-Germain will need more than money to be considered among the European elite but praised the French club for having the courage to field talented young players.

Speaking in an interview with French newspaper La Parisien, Buffon discussed the Ligue 1 side after they spent more than any other club in the summer in a bid to compete in the Champions League, signing the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva.

Buffon said: "PSG are a lucky club, they have a lot of money but, in football, the richest don't always win. Some clubs have less money but they spend it better and the history of a club also counts. Perhaps in 50 years they will talk about PSG more than Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, but not now."

The Juventus captain also discussed the ability of his Azzurri team-mates Marco Verratti and Salvatore Sirigu and the benefits of them playing for such a club.

Buffon continued: "Marco is today a first team regular for a big club that is in the Champions League, which is what they promised him in Paris. In Italy nobody had the courage to offer him the same.

"Sirigu? He's a good kid, an explosive and reactive goalkeeper. Sirigu did well by going to France as it's a very delicate role in Italy where you can do well for six months, make two errors and then be replaced. Salvatore cut the umbilical cord with Italy and that is a good thing for his development."

Also mentioned was the prospect of facing Didier Deschamps' France team this Wednesday, with Buffon able to draw on the experience of playing under the Bleus coach with Juventus five years ago.

He added: "It's not a surprise to see him as the French manager, he was already a coach on the pitch. His footballing philosophy isn't Italian, it is European and, seeing as he played in four countries, he put the best of those experiences in his suitcase.

"France? I like Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery but they can do even better. For me, they have the qualities and the potential to reach the level of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo."

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Source: ESPN