Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira says seeing Gigi Buffon in tears was difficult to watch.
Buffon broke down after Italy's World Cup playoff failure against Sweden, which marked his last international.
“I can't say that I'm happy," the Germany midfielder told Bild.
“Seeing Buffon cry hurt everyone, Italians and non-Italians. Buffon's a great sportsman, a living legend.
“It's a term used too loosely, but I can use it on him with sincerity. I hoped he could play at his last international tournament.
“Now I'm sad for my Juventus teammates and all of Italy: things have changed for the better, clubs are investing and playing good football, but this result was a disaster.
“They've already said they'll come back up and I'm sure they will. I sent a message to Buffon, but now we need objectives more than words.
“He's only missing one trophy [the Champions League], so we'll help him win it."
Source: tribalfootball.com