Buffon exclusive

Asked for the reasons why he chose to remain with the club after they were demoted a division because of the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football in the summer, Buffon revealed that he just couldn't bear to leave.

"It was my way of reacting to a special situation," he said. "If I had gone, it would have hurt me, so I stayed.

"[I also wanted] to try something new."

Buffon, who was voted best goalkeeper in winning the World Cup with Italy in the summer, spoke of his experiences in Serie B so far.

"It is not degrading for me. I just enjoy playing, never mind whether it's in Serie B or Serie A. The platform has changed, but the ball is the same [and] you play against 11 men. Therefore the changes for me are small."

The keeper insisted that the pressure of playing at that level is comparable to not only the top division, but to the biggest stage of them all.

"I feel more pressure," he told us. "I was more nervous against Rimini then in the [World Cup final] match against France. That shows just how much I understand football."

Juve began the season with a 17 point deficit on the other teams in the division - with the exception of Arezzo, who were given a nine-point disadvantage for their minor role in the underhand dealings - but have already climbed off the foot of the table and onto -4 points, only 13 behind the promotion places.

The man nicknamed 'Gigi' in Italy is confident that they can overhaul the gap and give top flight football back to Juve supporters next season.

"Next year we will play in Serie A. I hope that we will get into Serie A and we can celebrate my fifth championship with Juventus," he said. "For me [winning Serie B] would be like winning the [Serie A] championship."