Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon was born on 28 January 1978, in Carrara. His parents, Maria Stella and Adriano, were athletes: she competed in discus, while he was a weightlifter. Buffon entered Parma's youth system and made his Serie A debut on 19 November 1995, aged seventeen, against AC Milan. He kept a clean sheet in Parma's 0-0 draw and displaced Luca Bucci as the club's leading goalkeeper. With Parma, Buffon won the UEFA Cup, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana in 1999. In the UEFA Cup final in Moscow, Parma defeated Marseille 3-0; Buffon was in a side coached by Alberto Malesani and containing Lilian Thuram, Fabio Cannavaro, and Hernan Crespo. In 2001, Juventus signed him for 100 billion lire, reported at the time as world-record fee for a goalkeeper. At Juventus, Buffon became central to a dominant period but also experienced its Calciopoli aftermath. The club was relegated to Serie B in 2006, yet he remained and helped Juventus win promotion. Across his first Juventus spell, he won ten Serie A titles, although two earlier championships were revoked after Calciopoli. He also collected five Coppe Italia and six Supercoppe Italiane. He reached three Champions League finals with Juventus: against Milan in 2003, Barcelona in 2015, and Real Madrid in 2017. Juventus lost each final. Buffon's defining international achievement arrived at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Italy conceded only two goals in seven matches, one an own goal and one penalty. Buffon played every minute of the tournament, keeping five clean sheets. In the final against France, he made a celebrated extra-time save from Zinedine Zidane's header. After a 1-1 draw, Italy won the shootout 5-3, and Buffon received the Yashin Award as the tournament's best goalkeeper. He also won the 2006 IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award after that season. Buffon captained Italy after Fabio Cannavaro's retirement and earned 176 senior caps, an Italian men's record. His final international match was a 0-0 draw with Sweden in November 2017; Italy's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup ended his national-team career. He returned to Parma in 2021, two decades after leaving, and played in Serie B before announcing his retirement on 2 August 2023. His professional career lasted twenty-eight years. Beyond his club medals, Buffon is remembered for longevity: he made more than 1,100 senior appearances for clubs and country, and appeared at five World Cup tournaments, from 1998 through 2014.