Most Appearances Record (Gianluigi Buffon)

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 a world record fee for a goalkeeper of €52.9 million, he won Serie A titles in his first two seasons. In his first spell at Juventus spanning 17 years, he won a record nine Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias, and five Supercoppa Italianas. He signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, winning the Trophée des Champions and Ligue 1 in his only season, before returning to Juventus the following year. During the 2019–20 season, he broke Paolo Maldini's record of 647 Serie A appearances and won a record tenth top flight title. In June 2021, Buffon returned to Parma, who had been relegated to Serie B, and announced his retirement from football in 2023 at age 45.

In Their Own Story

The Turin air was crisp under the floodlights, the stadium a sea of black and white chanting his name. Buffon stood alone on the goal line, hands resting on his hips, eyes scanning the chaos unfolding before him. He didn't need to shout; his presence commanded silence. As the crowd roared, he looked up at the stands, seeing faces from twenty years ago mixed with new generations. He wasn't just playing a match; he was holding time itself together for this club.

Reader's Guide

Buffon is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is the most capped goalkeeper of all time (176 caps), the most capped player in Italy history, and the fourth-most capped European international. He was called up for five FIFA World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014), starting in the 2006 winning squad and winning the Golden Glove. He also represented Italy at four European Championships, the 1996 Olympics, and two FIFA Confederations Cups, winning bronze in 2013. He retired from international football in 2017 after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, briefly reversed the decision for friendlies in 2018, and 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 (2003).
• He was the runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 2006.
• He was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list in 2004.
• He won the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award a record five times, alongside Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer.