Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, born 28 January 1978, is an Italian former professional goalkeeper. Considered among the finest ever to play the position, he is one of the few players with over 1,100 senior appearances and holds the record for most Serie A matches. He debuted in Serie A with Parma in 1995, helping the club win the Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup, and Supercoppa Italiana in 1999. In 2001, he joined Juventus for a world-record goalkeeper fee of €52.9 million, winning Serie A titles in his first two seasons.

Over 17 years in his first spell, he collected a record nine Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias, and five Supercoppa Italianas. He was the first goalkeeper to win Serie A Footballer of the Year and was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year twelve times. After reaching the 2015 and 2017 Champions League finals, he was named to the Champions League Squad of the Season both times and won the inaugural The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award in 2017. At age 40 in 2018, he signed with Paris Saint-Germain, sharing duties with Alphonse Areola and winning the Trophée des Champions and Ligue 1 in his only season.

He returned to Juventus the next year, serving mostly as backup to Wojciech Szczęsny, but broke Paolo Maldini’s record of 647 Serie A appearances and won a record tenth top-flight title. The following season he continued as backup but started in the Coppa Italia, winning a record sixth. In June 2021, he returned to boyhood club Parma, then in Serie B, and retired in 2023 at age 45.

With 176 caps, Buffon is the most capped goalkeeper ever, Italy’s most capped player, and the fourth-most capped European international. He became Italy’s captain in 2010 and holds the record for most appearances as captain. He was called up to five World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014), debuting in 1997 and being an unused substitute in 1998. He started in the 2006 winning squad, earning the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper.

He also played in four European Championships, the 1996 Olympics, and two Confederations Cups, winning bronze in 2013. At the 2006 World Cup, he kept a record five clean sheets, won the Yashin Award, and was elected to the Team of the Tournament, an honour repeated by UEFA after the 2008 quarter-finals and 2012 final. He retired internationally in 2017 after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, briefly reversed the decision for friendlies, and officially retired in May 2018.

Pelé named Buffon to the FIFA 100 list in 2004. He is the only goalkeeper to win the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award, after the 2003 Champions League final, and also won UEFA’s best goalkeeper award that year, being voted into the UEFA Team of the Year five times. He was runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2006 and part of the FIFPro World11 three times. He was the first goalkeeper to win the Golden Foot Award and was named IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper a record five times, alongside Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer. The same organisation later named him best goalkeeper of the 21st century, of the past 25 years, and of the decade.

Buffon was born in Carrara, Tuscany. His mother, Maria Stella Masocco, was a discus thrower; his father, Adriano, a weightlifter of Friulian origin from Latisana. After retiring from sport, they worked as physical education teachers. His sisters Veronica and Guendalina played volleyball for Italy, and his maternal uncle, Dante Masocco, played basketball in Serie A1 and for the national team. He is the second cousin twice removed of goalkeeper Lorenzo Buffon. As a youth, he supported several clubs, including Carrarese, Juventus, and Borussia Mönchengladbach. From ages eight to twelve, he supported Inter Milan due to admiration for manager Giovanni Trapattoni, along with Pescara, Como, Avellino, and Campobasso, before settling on Genoa. He was a member of Carrarese’s ultras group “Commando Ultrà Indian Tips,” whose name appeared on his gloves.

He played youth football as a midfielder for U.S.D. Canaletto Sepor, Perticata, and Bonascola. His first footballing idol was midfielder Blaž Slišković during his first stint at Pescara. Despite offers from Bologna and Milan, he joined Parma’s youth system in 1991, where a coach was impressed by his physical qualities. He played several outfield positions, especially midfield, before switching to goalkeeper, inspired by his idol Thomas N’Kono.