The Bianconeri skipper after reaching a third Champions League final: “Everyone thought it was my last two years ago but here we are again...”

Gianluigi Buffon revealed that he never stopped believing he might have another shot at winning a Champions League final after Juve saw off Monaco in the semis to book their spot at the showpiece event in Cardiff on 3 June.

A 2-1 victory on the night saw the Bianconeri progress to the final with a 4-1 aggregate win, meaning the captain can now look forward to a third career final and his second in three years.

Speaking after the second leg at Juventus Stadium, Buffon said: "Everyone thought it was my last final two years ago – I thought it might be too but I never gave up hope because you have to keep believing in your dreams and in what you do right down to the very last day.

"I'm delighted because I'm going into it in good form, but of course I'd never have got another chance if I didn't play for a great team and didn't have my team-mates to help me.

"It's actually happening now. It was no easy feat, mind, despite our 2-0 lead from the first leg. If we'd gone into the game and been cocky about it, we'd have had a really hard time.

"It was still very tough but if you maintain the right attitude and you're prepared to scrap for it then you can overcome the difficult moments.

"We're going to Cardiff now but we can't say we've achieved our target yet because reaching the final is not enough anymore."