Italian Buffon eyes 2018 World Cup swansong

(Reuters) - Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is planning to retire after the 2018 World Cup, Italian media reported on Monday. Buffon has played 154 times for his country, a national record, and if he plays in the next World Cup it would be his sixth appearance in the global showpiece tournament. "If I can push myself until the 2018 World Cup, I will go on," said the Juventus skipper who turns 38 in a couple of days. Buffon, who helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup, has been with Juventus since 2001 after making his Serie A debut with Parma at the age of 17. "Buffon is master of his own fate, he can stay at Juventus as long as he wants," the club's CEO Giuseppe Marotta said. (Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdynia)