Gianluigi Buffon may be a decorated great of the game but the veteran goalkeeper insists he is not guaranteed to be Paris Saint-Germain's first choice.
The 40-year-old is one of three well-credentialed options in a strong group of shot-stoppers that includes Alphonse Areola and Kevin Trapp, who were selected for the World Cup by France and Germany respectively.
But with 3-1 and 5-1 defeats in those matches, and the looming return of last season's incumbent Areola, Buffon is braced for a battle to be number one.
"I haven't spoken to anybody, but it's important for me to say one thing: in my 24-year career, nobody has ever told me 'you will be the main goalkeeper'," he said at a media conference.
"I believe that one has to train and put himself in the best condition to play when called.
"And once again I am here to do my best when I am called by the coach, but also to help everybody improve. So I have two functions."
1 - Alphonse Areola became the 1st player in France’s history to be World Champion without playing a single minute with Les Bleus (0 cap). Crazy.July 19, 2018
Buffon's surprise switch to the Ligue 1 champions came in the wake of his decision to end a successful 17-year stay at Juventus.
The World Cup-winning Italy icon says he has no regrets ahead of his first season outside Serie A.
"I feel very well," he said. "If I have chosen to continue playing and accept such a challenge it's because I love challenges, I love to do well and I love finishing my job in the best possible way.
"That's the challenge that I liked the most and the only one that could keep me playing. And I want to win this challenge with everybody's help. I could never do it alone."
