Alessandro Del Piero Captaincy and Legacy (1993-2015)

Lore & Background

Buffon made his Serie A debut at Parma in 1995, helping Parma win the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana in 1999. After joining Juventus in 2001, for the world record fee for a goalkeeper of €52.9 million at the time, Buffon won Serie A titles in both his first two seasons at the club. In his first spell at Juventus spanning 17 years, he won eight Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias, and five Supercoppa Italianas. He was the first goalkeeper to win the Serie A Footballer of the Year award, and was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record twelve times. After reaching the 2003, 2015, and 2017 UEFA Champions League finals, Buffon was named to the Champions League Squad of the Season in 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and won the inaugural The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award in the latter year. Buffon signed with French club Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 40 in 2018, where he was used in a rotational role with Alphonse Areola; he won the Trophée des Champions and Ligue 1 title in his only season with the team, before returning to Juventus the following year. During the 2019–20 season, Buffon served primarily as a back-up to Wojciech Szczęsny, but still managed to break Paolo Maldini's record of 647 appearances in Serie A, as he won a record tenth top flight title with the club. The following season he continued to serve as a back-up, but started in the Coppa Italia, winning his record sixth title. In June 2021, Buffon returned to his boyhood club Parma, who had been relegated to Serie B for that season, before announcing his retirement from football in 2023 at the age of 45.

In Their Own Story

The rain lashed against the Stadio delle Alpi, turning floodlights into a hazy, ghostly halo over the pitch. Inside the dressing room, the air was thick with the scent of wet wool and despair, broken only by the sharp tear of athletic tape being ripped from skin. Del Piero stood before his teammates, the captain's armband feeling like lead on his arm after the summer revelations that had shattered their world. He scanned the faces of young men terrified of a future in Serie B, then spoke with a quiet, steely resolve that cut through the silence: 'We are Juventus.' His voice didn't crack. 'The badge isn't defined by where we play, but by who wears it.' The next morning on the muddy, unforgiving turf of Italy's second division, he didn't just run; he soared. In the dying minutes, rising above a wall of defenders to head home a goal that reminded the nation: the Black and White had not fallen—they were merely enduring.

Reader's Guide

With 176 international caps, Buffon is the most capped goalkeeper of all time, the most capped player in the history of the Italy national team, and the fourth-most capped European international player ever. Buffon also holds the record for most appearances for Italy as captain after he inherited the armband in 2010. Buffon was called up for a record of five FIFA World Cup tournaments (in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014) after making his debut in 1997; he was an unused substitute in the 1998 edition. He was the starting goalkeeper of the squad that won the 2006 tournament, being awarded the Golden Glove as the competition's best goalkeeper. He also represented Italy at four European Championships, at the 1996 Olympics, and at two FIFA Confederations Cups, winning a bronze medal in the 2013 edition of the tournament. Following his performances during the 2006 World Cup, where he kept a record five clean sheets, Buffon won the Yashin Award and was elected to the Team of the Tournament, an honour he also received from UEFA after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2008 and the final of the 2012 European Championship. Buffon retired from international football in 2017, after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup; although he reversed this decision to play in the team's friendlies the following year, he officially confirmed his international retirement in May 2018.

Did You Know?

• Buffon is the only goalkeeper to win the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award, which he achieved after reaching the 2003 Champions League final.
• He was the first ever goalkeeper to win the Golden Foot Award.
• Buffon was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004.
• He was the runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 2006.