Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says that he would have liked to have played in the Premier League but feels it is now too late for that to happen.
Buffon, 37, still has just under two years left to run on his contract with the Bianconeri, whom he joined from Parma in 2001, and looks set to end his career in Turin.
The Italy international has been linked with English clubs in the past -- most notably Manchester City and Arsenal -- and says he could have been tempted.
"I've only got two and a half more years of my career and I think it's too late now," Buffon told Marca. "If at all, I would have liked to have tasted the Premier League, for its atmosphere and its tradition, but I've always been faithful to my clubs: I spent 10 years with Parma and 15 with Juventus."
Nevertheless, he is not entirely ruling out a switch to England, suggesting he could "play there ... and then return to Turin again for a different type of career."
Nov. 9 will mark the 20th anniversary of Buffon's debut for Parma, but he says he remains hungry for success.
"My secret is that I've evolved over the years together with the game," he said. "I've matured a lot with my behaviour -- and that's a good thing too because you can't be how you are at 18 when you're 37!
"But the one thing that I have always maintained, and at a high level, is that I love competition; the challenges. That's essential in this line of work."
Asked about his reputation outside his home country, the 2006 World Cup winner said: "At the end of the day, I play in Italy.
"I've no idea [what people think of me in Spain]. I never ask. I do feel respected and recognised when I go abroad, though. I do feel that."