Gianluigi Buffon
Goalkeeper · Juventus · Italy
About Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon is universally considered the greatest goalkeeper of all time. He made 1,073 professional appearances across 28 seasons, keeping over 500 clean sheets. He was part of Italy's 2006 World Cup winning team, played in multiple Champions League finals, and won 10 Serie A titles — 9 with Juventus. He is the only goalkeeper to have been named in the FIFA 100 by Pelé.
Gianluigi Buffon's story
Carrara's Keeper
Buffon was born in Carrara, Tuscany, and joined Parma (ITA)'s youth academy at 13. He made his Serie A debut aged 17 in 1995, immediately announcing himself as exceptional. Parma (ITA) sold him to Juventus for a then-world record for a goalkeeper of £33m in 2001. He never left Italy until 2018 — and even then only spent one season in Paris (FRA).
The 2006 World Cup
Italy's 2006 World Cup triumph was built on Buffon's heroics. He kept five clean sheets in seven games, conceding only two goals across the tournament — and neither was from open play. His combination of shot-stopping, command of his area, and vocal organisation of the defence made Italy virtually impenetrable.
Loyalty Through Scandal
Like Del Piero, Buffon stayed at Juventus through Calciopoli — relegation to Serie B — when he could have left for any club in Europe. He played 38 Serie B games in 2006–07, helping them win promotion. He retired at 45 in 2023, having played competitive football for 28 seasons.
Did you know?
- 🧤 Buffon made 1,073 professional appearances across 28 seasons — the most by any goalkeeper in the history of football.
- 🏆 He kept clean sheets in five of his seven World Cup 2006 games — conceding only two goals in the entire tournament, neither from open play.
- 👨👩👧👦 Divorced Alena Šeredová in 2014 (two sons: Louis Thomas and David Lee) and later had a son, Leopoldo Mattia, with journalist Ilaria D'Amico, whom he married in 2023.
- 🇮🇹 He made 176 appearances for Italy — the most by any Italian player in history and one of the highest caps totals of any goalkeeper in world football.
- ⏰ He played competitive professional football until the age of 45 — making him one of the oldest goalkeepers ever to appear in a European league.
- 😤 Despite winning 10 Serie A titles, Buffon never won the Champions League. His most heartbreaking moment was the 2017 final, in which Juventus lost 4–1 to Real Madrid.
- 🌟 He is the only goalkeeper ever named in the FIFA 100 — Pelé's list of the 125 greatest living footballers, selected in 2004.
- 📊 He kept over 500 career clean sheets — a figure so far ahead of any other goalkeeper that it may never be matched.
- 💪 He stayed at Juventus through the Calciopoli scandal and their relegation to Serie B, playing 38 matches in the second division. "They needed me," he said simply.
Honours
- Serie A x10: Parma (1999), Juventus (2002-2003, 2012-2020)
- FIFA World Cup: Italy (2006)
- UEFA Cup x2: Parma (1999)
- IFFHS World's Best GK x6: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2016, 2017
- UEFA Best Goalkeeper x4: Multiple years
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