From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 May 2015.
+ Appearances (Goals).
? National team caps and goals correct as of 31 March 2015
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon,
(Italian pronunciation: ; born 28 January 1978), is an Italian
who plays for and
and the . Buffon is the record holder for most appearances for Italy. He is widely considered by players, pundits, and managers to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and by some to be the greatest ever. He is also considered by some to be the best goalkeeper of his generation, and Italy's greatest ever goalkeeper. Buffon is known for his "outstanding shot-stopping" and for being "a vocal organizer of the defense and a key dressing room personality." He is currently the
in 2001. Buffon also holds the record for the most clean sheets in Serie A, and with the Italian national team.
Buffon was named by
list of the world's greatest living players in 2004. He has been named the
a record nine times and was the winner of the 2006
following Italy's , in which Buffon was also electe an honour which he also received after reaching the final of the . Buffon is the only goalkeeper to have won the
Award, he also won the award for best Goalkeeper that year and was voted into the
and 2006. In 2006, Buffon was runner-up for the
and was elected to be part of the
World XI in 2006 and 2007.
He has been named the
(International Federation of Football History & Statistics) goalkeeper of the year four times (second only behind
with five awards) and was also named the best goalkeeper of the 21st century, of the past twenty five years, and of the decade, by the same organisation. With the Italian national side, Buffon has been called up for an international record of five World Cup finals (, , , , ), featuring in four of them as Italy's starting goalkeeper (Buffon was an unused substitute in the 1998 World Cup).
Buffon began his career with the
in 1991 at the age of 13. During his time at Parma's youth academy, he initially played in several out-field positions, in particular as a , before switching to his current position of . His idol , who was the
starting goalkeeper in the
in Italy, inspired this change of position when both of the team's keepers suddenly suffered injuries, and Buffon was called upon due to his height and physical attributes. Buffon quickly adapted to this role, and within two weeks he had been promoted to first keeper of the Parma youth team.
Buffon graduated from the youth squad in 1995, and at the age of 17, he made his
debut for , keeping a clean sheet in a 0–0 home draw against eventual
on 19 November 1995. Buffon made notable saves against
and , as well as , throughout the match. Buffon went on to make seven more first team appearances that season as well as one appearance in the , making his debut in the competition, as Parma were eliminated in the second round. Parma finished in sixth place in Serie A that season, qualifying for the . During his time at Parma, Buffon trained under goalkeeping coach , a person to whom Buffon attributes much of his confidence, development, and success.
In the , his second full season with the club, Buffon was named as the starting goalkeeper ahead of , and . Parma finished the 1996–97 season as runners-up in Serie A, behind , qualifying for the
the following season. Buffon conceded 17 goals in 27 appearances, and his consistent performances began to gain attention in Italy. Parma were once again eliminated in the second round of the
and in the first round of the
that season, where Buffon made his European debut in a 2–0 defeat to
on 24 September 1996.
In the , Parma finished in fifth place in Serie A and reached the
semi-finals, whilst they were knocked out in the group stage of the , finishing second in their group to defending champions . Buffon acquired his nickname "" during this season, when he stopped a penalty by
striker and Ballon d'Or winner
with a notable save. Buffon celebrated the save by showing the Parma fans a Superman t-shirt, which he was wearing underneath his jersey. The nickname was also a reference to Buffon's athleticism, agility and aerial ability.
with the club, Buffon won his first European trophy, the , keeping a clean-sheet in the final against , which ended in a 3–0 win for P Buffon also won the
with Parma that season. Parma finished the Serie A season in fourth place, which allowed them to reach the playoff round of the , although they were relegated to the UEFA Cup after losing to . Buffon's performances that season earned him his first
Award, as well as the , the trophy given to the best Under 23 player in Europe. Buffon also placed fifth in the
goalkeeper of the year rankings, and received his first ever
nomination.
In the , he won his first
title against Serie A Champions , and Parma finished the Serie A season in fourth place, tied with
however, Parma lost to Inter 3–1 in the playoff match. They were knocked out in the round of 16 of both the
that season.
In the , Buffon helped lead Parma to another , in which they were defeated by . They were eliminated in the third round of the
that season. Parma also finished the season in fourth place for the third consecutive season, which allowed them to go through to the
round the following season. Buffon was voted
for the second time in his career. Buffon also placed third in the
of the year award.
In the summer of 2001, Buffon was sold to
of 100 billion , (EUR51,645,690) (Or EUR51.956 million including other minor cost that could be capitalised) with part of the transfer fees paid via the transfer of
Buffon transferred from
in the summer of 2001 for EUR51 million, along with former Parma team-mate , and was handed the number 1 shirt as the starting goalkeeper, replacing , who was sold to . Buffon later said that there had been an initial possibility for him to join , but they signed
instead, and although negotiations were ongoing with , he chose Juventus because his father convinced him he would be likely to achieve his ambition of winning the
with Juventus. This transfer fee made Buffon Juventus's most expensive purchase ever.
Buffon made his Juventus debut in Serie A during the , on 26 August 2001, keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 home win over
in the opening match of the Serie A season. He kept two more clean sheets until he was beaten by
in a 3–2 home win over
on the fourth match-day. In his
with Juventus, Buffon appeared in 45 official matches, helping his team to the
title, as Juventus finished the season with the best defence in Italy, with Buffon only conceding 22 goals in 34 Serie A matches. Juventus also finished as runners-up in the
that season, to Buffon's former club, P Buffon only made one appearance in the competition that season. Juventus were, however, eliminated in the second group stage of the . Buffon was awarded his third
Award at the end of the season for his performances, and he was nominated for the
for the first time in his career, losing out to .
At the beginning of the , Juventus won the
against Parma. Buffon had a dominant year, totalling 47 appearances in all competitions, of which 32 were in Serie A. He helped Juventus to the , only for his team to lose in a penalty shoot-out to
after a 0–0 draw. Buffon managed to save two penalties, but Milan won the shootout 3–2. Buffon drew praise, however, for making a notable reactions save on a close-range header by
during the final. Buffon saved a
penalty in the second leg of the semi-finals, against defending champions , in Turin. Juventus progressed to the final, winning 4–3 on aggregate. Juventus managed to celebrate their second consecutive Serie A title that season, finishing the season with the best defence yet again, as Buffon conceded only 23 goals in 32 appearances. In 2003, Buffon received the
for the fourth time. He also became the only goalkeeper ever to win the now defunct
Most Valuable Player or
award. He also won the , and was elected to the
for the first time. He was also named the
for the first time in his career. Buffon was also nominated for the
that season, finishing in 9th place.
Buffon began the
with Juventus by defeating Milan on penalties in the , with Buffon saving a penalty in the shootout, after a 1-1 draw. Juventus were eliminated in the round of 16 of the
that season by
and finished the Serie A season in a disappointing 3rd place, although they managed to reach the . Buffon made his 100th appearance for Juventus that season on 30 September 2003, in a 2–1 away win over , in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. He was named by
as one of the
in March 2004, but missed out on the
award, which went to Milan's league winning keeper . He was once again elected as the Goalkeeper for the
and as the
of the Year. Buffon also received his first ever , finishing in 21st place alongside compatriot .
In the summer of 2004,
left Juventus to take charge of the
and was replaced by manager . In his
with the club, Buffon made 38 appearances in Serie A and 48 in all competitions that season as he won his third Serie A title in four years with Juventus, winning once again the
award for the fifth time in his career. Juventus were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the , against eventual winners , and in 2005, Buffon was nominated for the
for the fourth consecutive year.
In August 2005, Buffon collided with Milan attacking-midfielder
during the annual pre-season
match and suffered a dislocated shoulder, requiring surgery, ruling him out of Juventus' defeat to
in the . After a successful operation, he returned to the starting line-up in November, but suffered a second injury, sidelining him again until January. Milan's goalkeeper, , was loaned to the club, to fill in for the injured Buffon. Buffon managed to recover in time to help Juventus win their second consecutive
and his fourth overall, returning to the starting line-up in January 2006, in a
match against . Juventus were, however, once again knocked out in the quarter finals of the
to runners up , and in the quarter finals of the
on away goals to runners up . Buffon was named
Goalkeeper of the Year for the third time in his career and
for the sixth time. He was also placed second in the
and eighth in the
behind his winning Italy team mate , and was elected as the starting goalkeeper for both the 2006
and the , following his 5th consecutive nomination. Buffon made his 200th appearance for Juventus that season in a 2–0 away defeat at the hands of Arsenal, in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
On 12 May 2006, several players, including Buffon, were accused of participating in illegal betting on Serie A matches. Buffon voluntarily co-operated, allowing himself to be interrogated by
magistrates. While admitting that he did place bets on sporting matches (until regulations went into effect in late 2005, banning players from doing so), he vehemently denied placing wagers on Italian football matches. Despite concerns that he had jeopardised his chance of playing for Italy in the , he was officially named Italy's starting goalkeeper on 15 May and helped Italy to win their fourth title. Buffon was cleared of all charges by the
on 27 June 2007. Following Juventus' punishment in the , in which their two most recent Serie A titles were stripped and the squad were relegated to Serie B and penalised with a point deduction, rumours spread that Buffon would be placed on the transfer market. Buffon elected to remain with Juventus, despite the team's relegation, a decision which made him extremely popular with the Juventus fans.
"Buffon is one of the greatest and best goalkeepers in football history. When Juventus were in Serie B, he showed himself to be faithful to the team, it was a great gesture."
—Former Bayern Munich coach .
After Juventus won the
title in the , promoting them back to Serie A, Buffon signed a contract extension with Juventus until 2012. Buffon was elected as the goalkeeper for the
for the second consecutive year, and the
Goalkeeper of the year for a record breaking fourth time. During the Serie B season, Buffon received the first red card of his career in a match against
on 18 November 2006. Before the beginning of the 2007–08 Serie A season, Buffon renewed his contract with Juventus until 2012.
Buffon during his debut in
Buffon was a key player for Juventus in the
season, their first back in the top flight, as he helped Juventus to a third-place finish, and
qualification. Juventus lost to runners-up Inter in the
quarter-finals. Buffon was named
for the seventh time in his career. Buffon was also nominated for the
for the sixth consecutive time in his career since 2003, and the . During this season, Buffon began to suffer problems with his back, caused by a herniated disc, which frequently keep him sidelined during the next few seasons. On 10 March 2008, Buffon renewed his contract until 2013, expressing his desire to win everything with the club.
In , Buffon was once again sidelined by several injuries. From September through January, reserve keeper
held his position between the sticks, gaining praise for his deputising. Due to recurring injuries, Manninger’s performances and Juventus's poor form towards the end of the season (as Buffon was seen despondent whilst the team drew with both
and ), there were further rumours that Buffon was displeased and wanted to part ways with the club. He admitted he was disappointed with the current results, but assured that he had no intention of leaving. After a discussion with management, he said he was reassured about the club's future and signed a contract extension to 2013. Buffon and Juventus finished the season on a high note, with two victories, finishing in second place behind . They were knocked out of the
semi-finals by eventual champions
and of the UEFA Champions League in the
by . Buffon was nominated for the
for the sixth consecutive season since first being nominated in . Buffon made his 300th appearance for Juventus in a 3–3 home draw against Chievo in 2009.
Juventus and Buffon began the
season strongly, although the squad suffered a severe dip in form as they were eliminated from the , finishing third in their group. They were subsequently eliminated in the Round of 16 of the
against . Juventus were knocked out in the quarter finals of the
to eventual Champions Inter, and finished the Serie A season in a disappointing seventh place, only qualifying for the
through the playoff round. Buffon was often sidelined that season, due to several recurring injuries. In 2010, Buffon was voted goalkeeper of the decade by IFFHS.
Buffon did not play for the first half of the
season as he was recovering from surgery after an injury endured during the , and he was replaced by his new deputy, . Juventus were knocked out of the , the
in the quarter finals, and finished the Serie A season in seventh place, failing to qualify for Europe for the first time since the .
During the
season under new manager and former club midfielder , Juventus were once again a dominating force in Serie A. Buffon re-found his form, and made numerous notable saves throughout the season, including stopping a penalty kick from , which enabled Juventus to capture a crucial draw against
in . Buffon's fine form at the end of the first half of the season saw elected Juventus's player of the month in December 2011 by fans. Buffon kept his 15th
of the season in Juventus's
victory over rivals Inter in the Derby d'I after the match, he was described as "the best goalkeeper in Italy and probably the World." Juventus finished the season unbeaten, winning their first
since the Calciopoli scandal, and qualifying for the
after a two-year absence. Buffon described it as the second highest point of his career, after the 2006 World Cup victory.
Buffon obtained 21 clean sheets in Serie A, and only conceded a personal record of 16 goals from 35 appearances (an average of 0.46 goals per game) as Juventus became the European team with the second best defence that season, after . Buffon made 81 saves in Serie A that season and his 82 percent save percentage was the highest of any goalkeeper playing in one of Europe's five major leagues. Buffon was included in the
for his performances. Juventus also made the
that season, although Buffon did not play in this competition.
Buffon playing for
in the 2012–13 season
On 11 August 2012, Buffon lifted his first trophy as the new , following 's departure. Juventus defeated Napoli 4–2 in extra time in the
in Beijing. Buffon suffered a minor injury and missed the first
match of the 2012–13 season against Parma on 25 August 2012. He returned to the starting line-up for the next match against
in Udine on 2 September, wearing the captain' Juventus won the match 4–1. On 20 September, in Juventus's first
match of the season against
, Buffon made his 400th appearance for J the match ended in a 2–2 away draw. Buffon obtained his first clean sheet of the season in a 2–0 home win against
on 22 September.
Buffon was nominated for the
following his performances throughout the calendar year. He obtained his first
clean sheet against
on 7 November, a match which
won 4–0 at the . He also kept clean sheets as Juventus beat
3–0 at home, and
1–0 away from home, on Buffon's 100th club appearance in European Competitions. Juventus topped their
undefeated, and advanced to the knockout stages for first time since the .
Buffon kept a clean sheet in a 1–0
win against , allowing Juventus to progress to the . On 16 December, Juventus defeated
3–0, allowing Juventus to once again claim the unofficial title of 'Serie A Winter Champions', with the best defence in Serie A, having only conceded 10 goals in 17 matches. This was also Buffon's 20th clean sheet in 2012, the most of any other goalkeeper in Europe. Buffon was voted second in the IFFHS goalkeeper of the year award, behind
and was named as goalkeeper of the century by the same organisation. On 23 January 2013, Buffon signed a contract extension with Juventus, keeping him at the club until 2015. On 27 January 2013, Buffon was awarded the Serie A goalkeeper of the year award for the eighth time in his career. Juventus retained their
title that season, and finished the league with the best defence, as Buffon conceded just 19 goals. The league victory allowed Buffon to lift the Serie A trophy as captain for the first time. Juventus were eliminated in the semifinals of the
to winners , and in the quarter-finals of the
to winners .
On 18 August 2013, Juventus began the
season by defending their
title, at the , in Rome. Juventus defeated Lazio 4–0, with Buffon keeping a clean sheet in the competitio Buffon was praised for making several saves. On 24 November, Buffon made his 500th appearance in Serie A, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 away win against . On 6 December, Buffon recorded his seventh consecutive clean sheet, and his as a result, he bettered his previous personal record of 568 minutes without conceding a goal in Serie A, going 640 minutes without being beaten in the Italian League. Buffon was finally beaten by
in a 4-1 win over , after going 745 minutes without conceding a goal in Serie A, and equalling
. Buffon was nominated for the
for his performances throughout the calendar year.
In 2013, Buffon was once again named the second best goalkeeper in the world by IFFHS, behind . On 16 March 2014, Buffon saved the 20th penalty of his career in a 1–0 away win over , equalising Dino Zoff's 476 appearances for Juventus as the club's fifth all-time appearance holder. Buffon lifted the Serie A title for the third consecutive year, captaining the team to their thirtieth league title.
During the , Juventus managed an Italian record of 102 points, including a Serie A record of 33 Juventus finished with the best defence of the league, yet again. Buffon managed 89 saves and 18 clean sheets in 33 appearances during the Serie A season, and conceded 19 goals. Juventus were eliminated in the group stage of the , although they later managed to reach the semi-finals of the
losing out to . Buffon was chosen as part of the
for his performances throughout the tournament. On 1 July 2014, Buffon signed a contract extension that would keep him at the club until 2017.
"He is a benchmark for me, and for every keeper of my generation. When I started playing, I had a dream – I dreamed of becoming like him, and every time I play against him it's a real pleasure."
—Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper
on Buffon and his 500th appearance with Juventus.
In the summer of 2014, Conte left Juventus to take charge of the Italian national side, and former Milan manager, , was called in as a replacement. Juventus opened the
with a 1–0 away win over , with Buffon keeping a clean-sheet and producing a notable save on
in the second half. On 27 September, Buffon saved a
penalty in a 3–0 away win over , helping Juventus to keep their 5th consecutive clean-sheet in Serie A; he was eventually beaten by a Francesco Totti penalty in a 3–2 home win over Roma on 5 October, after going unbeaten for 616 minutes that season. Including the previous season, Buffon managed to go 801 minutes in total without con this record has only been bettered by
and . On 29 October, Buffon made his 500th appearance for Juventus in a 1–0 away loss to . On 1 November 2014, Buffon made his 400th League appearance with Juventus (37 of which were in , and 363 of which were in ), keeping a clean-sheet in a 2–0 away win over . On 24 November, Buffon was nominated for the 2014
for a record 10th time. He is currently the only goalkeeper to have been nominated for the award every year since its inception in 2005. The same week, Buffon was also nominated for the .
Buffon playing for Juventus in 2014.
On 15 December, 2014, Buffon was named Serie A goalkeeper of the year for the ninth time in his career, and was elected to the . On the 22nd December, Juventus were defeated by Napoli in the
8-7 on penalties, following a 2-2 draw after extra-time. Although Buffon made several saves during the match, and managed to stop three penalties in the shoot-out, he was unable to prevent his team from losing the title. Buffon placed fourth in the 2014 IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Award, behind Neuer, Courtois, and N this was the 15th consecutive year in which he had been named as one of the world's top five goalkeepers. On 15 February 2015, Buffon surpassed
as the Juventus player with the second most minutes played in Serie A, behind only . On 2 March 2015, Buffon equalled Scirea as the Juventus player with the second most appearances in Serie A, behind only Del P he later surpassed Scirea on 14 March, making his 378th Serie A appearance with Juventus in a 1–0 away win over . On 26 April, Buffon made his 528th appearance for Juventus in all competitions, equalling
as the player with third-most appe he overtook Furino on 29 April. On 2 May, Buffon kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 away win over , as Juventus won their fourth consecutive Serie A title. On 13 May, Buffon produced a man of the match performance as Juventus drew 1–1 with Real Madrid at the
in the second leg of the
semi-final, only being
the result allowed Buffon to progress to his second career
with Juventus, twelve years after his last appearance in the Champions League Final. On 20 May, he won his first
title with Juventus, despite not featuring throughout the tournament that season. On 23 May, in his 900th career appearance, Buffon saved a
penalty in a 3–1 home win over Napoli in Serie A.
Having represented his country a record 147 times, Buffon is the most capped player in Italian history.
Buffon has represented
at all youth levels, from the
side, with the Italy under-16 side, he reached the final of the , saving three penalties in the semi-final shootout, and he also reached the final of the 1995
with the . He was most notably a member of 's
winning squad. Buffon was also a member of the Italy squad that won the gold medal for football at the , in Bari, on home soil. Buffon currently holds the record for the most clean-sheets with the Italian national side.
Buffon was awarded his first cap for
on 29 October 1997, at the age of nineteen, as an injury replacement for
during the first leg of the
against , in . Buffon made notable saves under snowy conditions in a 1–1 away draw, only being beaten by a
own goal. The result helped Italy to qualify for the upcoming World Cup. He was a member of the squad for the
finals, initially as the third choice goalkeeper. After
injury, he was promoted to second choice keeper behind Pagliuca, with
being called up as the third choice keeper, but Buffon did not play a single game in the tournament. Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals on penalties to hosts and eventual
Buffon became the first choice goalkeeper during the
and was due to start in goal during
under manager and former Italy goalkeeping legend , but he broke his hand in a warm up match against , just a few days before Italy's opening match against . His starting place was taken by backup goalkeeper Toldo, and
was called up as a replacement third keeper, with
being promoted to second keeper. Italy reached the final of the tournament, losing once again to France.
Toldo's impressive performances at Euro 2000 meant that he retained his place in the team for the beginning of Italy's . Buffon regained the goalkeeping spot for the fourth match of the qualification series, away to , and was the starting goalkeeper for the remaining four matches under
as Italy qualified with an unbeaten record.
Buffon played every minute of Italy's
campaign, keeping a clean-sheet in the opening match against , and saving a controversial penalty against co-hosts
in the round of 16, which was not enough to stop the under-performing side from being eliminated by a golden goal in extra time. He also featured in every match in , keeping a clean-sheet against Denmark, although Italy, despite not losing a match, once again underperformed, and were eliminated in the first round on direct encounters following a three way 5 point tie with
Buffon with Italy during the
Buffon was once again the first choice goalkeeper under his former
coach, and Trapattoni's replacement, , as Italy finished first in their
During the
finals, Buffon was in excellent form, as he conceded a World Cup record two goals in seven matches, and kept five clean sheets, in addition to a 453-minute scoreless streak, which was only 64 minutes short of compatriot
all-time unbeaten record from . The only goals he conceded w an
by teammate
after a free-kick against the
in Italy's second match of the , and a
penalty in
against , which was awarded after contact in the area between
and . Buffon made a notable and important save in extra time on a header from eventual
winner . The match ended 1–1 after extra-time and was followed by a penalty shootout in which neither Buffon nor
saved a spot kick. The lone miss was 's effort which hit the bottom of the
and failed to cross the line, enabling Italy's
to seal the victory for Italy. Buffon received the
as the best goalkeeeper of the tournament producing 40 saves, and was elected to the . Buffon also finished second to compatriot Cannavaro in the
and 8th in the
for his performances that season, and was named in the
Buffon was named acting Italy
after incumbent
was ruled out of the tournament due to injury, and as Italy's replacement captain Del Piero was frequently deployed as a substitute. In the second game of the group stage against
on 13 June, he saved an 81st minute penalty from
to keep Italy's hopes alive following their opening defeat against , as the match ended 1–1. Buffon kept a clean sheet against France in the final group game, as Italy won 2–0 to advance to the quarter-finals. Italy were eliminated nine days later, when a 0–0 draw after extra-time led to a 4–2 penalty shootout loss to Buffon saved one penalty in the shootout and was elected to the
for his performances.
Upon 's return, Buffon was confirmed as the starting keeper. He played all three group matches during Italy's disappointing
campaign in South Africa, in which they finished third in their group in three-way three point tie. He earned his 100th cap on 14 November 2009 in a friendly match against the Netherlands. He was a key player in Italy's
campaign as they finished top of their group, undefeated.
In the , Buffon was replaced at half-time in Italy's 1–1 draw in their opening group stage match against
after he had a problem with his . He did not play again in the tournament and was substituted by . Italy disappointed and failed to win a match, finishing last in their group with two points. Lippi was dismissed after the Italy's premature elimination from the World Cup.
Buffon playing for Italy against Spain in the
After the international retirement of Cannavaro, Buffon became the new
of the national team under the new manager . On 9 February 2011, after recovering from a back injury, Buffon played his first game as official captain in the friendly match against , in Dortmund. On 6 September 2011, after a 1–0 Italy win over , Buffon surpassed Zoff and established the new record for most minutes without conceding a goal in , going 644 minutes with the win also allowed Italy to qualify for Euro 2012. On 15 November 2011, in a friendly match against , Buffon surpassed 's number of caps for
(112), putting him behind only the retired former Italy captains Cannavaro and . He was subsequently selected as Italy's starting goalkeeper and captain for Euro 2012, after leading his national side to
for the tournament undefeated, only conceding 2 goals.
At , Buffon acted as captain during the entire tournament. He kept a clean-sheet against the
in the third group-stage match, and against , saving a crucial penalty from
in the quarterfinal shootout, in which he was elected man of the match. In the semifinal match against , Buffon made several important saves, only being beaten by a penalty by
in the 92nd minute.
won the match 2–1 and advanced to the
against defending
, with whom Italy had drawn 1–1 in the opening group stage match, only having conceded 3 The semifinal victory qualified Italy for the , as Spain had previously won the 2010 World Cup. Italy were beaten 4–0 in the final as Spain claimed a record third consecutive major trophy, and their second consecutive European Championship title. Buffon was once again elected to the
for his performances.
On 26 March 2013, in a
match against , Buffon earned his 126th cap for Italy, equalling Maldini's number of caps f In the same match, Buffon saved a penalty by Michael Mifsud, helping Italy to a 2–0 away win.
Buffon was included in the Italian squad for the
in Brazil and played in every match of the tournament as captain. On 16 June 2013, Buffon featured in Italy's opening 2-1 win against , where he was beaten only by a
penalty. In the next game on 19 June 2013, against , the referee awarded Japan a penalty in the 20th minute of the first half, when he declared that
had been brought down by Buffon after a mis Buffon received a yellow card. The eventual 4–3 win allowed Italy to progress to the semifinals of the competition for the first time. Italy faced
in the semi-final, in a rematch of the Euro 2012 final, but lost 7–6 in the resulting penalty shootout, after a 0–0 draw. Although both Buffon and Casillas had managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the match, neither keeper was able to stop a pen the lone miss, by , was hit over bar. In the 3rd-place match, Italy defeated
by 3–2 in the penalty shootout after a 2–2 deadlock following extra time. Buffon s those taken by , Juventus team mate
On 6 September 2013, Buffon earned his 135th cap for Italy in the 2014 World Cup Qualifier against . This cap put him at only one cap from record appearance holder . Buffon kept a clean sheet for Italy in the 1–0 win and was praised for making several saves, earning a man of the match award. The win allowed Italy to move seven points clear in their qualifying group. In the
fixture against the , at the
in Turin, on 10 September 2013, Buffon equalled Cannavaro as the Italian national football team record appearance holder, with 136 caps. Italy won the match 2–1, allowing them to qualify for the
as top of their group, wi this was the first time that the Italian squad had done so. On 11 October 2013, in a 2–2
draw against Denmark, Buffon surpassed Cannavaro, becoming the sole record appearance holder for Italy, with 137. On 2 January 2014, Buffon was awarded the 2013 "Pallone Azzurro" award, which is given to the Italian national side's best player of the year.
"Buffon is the
of goalkeepers."
—Italy teammates on Buffon.
On 12 May, Buffon was named in Italy's 31-man preliminary World Cup squad by Cesare Prandelli, and on 31 May, he was named the starting goalkeeper and captain in the final squad. Italy were placed in Group D, in the so-called "group of death", or "group of champions", with Costa Rica, England and Uruguay. Buffon became the third player to be part of five World Cup squads, tying the records held by
goalkeeper
footballer . Due to an ankle injury suffered in training, Buffon was not selected to start in Italy's first match of the
against England on 14 June 2014; he was replaced by .
captained the team in his absence, as Italy won the match 2-1.
In Italy's next group match, which ended in a 1–0 loss to , he captained his national side for the first time at a World C this was the fourth World Cup in which he appeared. In Italy's final group game against Uruguay, Buffon made notable saves on
and , as Italy were reduced to ten men following
co he was eventually beaten in the 81st minute by
header. Buffon was voted man of the match for his performance. Italy finished in third place in their group, and were eliminated in the group stage for a second consecutive World Cup.
Buffon made his first appearance for Italy under
on 9 September 2014, captaining his team in their opening
match against , in Oslo. Buffon kept a clean sheet as Italy won the match 2–0.
"The best goalkeeper I have ever faced was Buffon. When I was at Juventus, it was already difficult to get past
in defence during training sessions. If I managed to get past them, then I would find Buffon, and it was almost impossible to beat him!"
Buffon is widely considered by experts to be one of the greatest
in history, having won numerous, prestigious individual and team awards. These include the UEFA Goalkeeper and , the IFFHS and
Awards and the
with . He has also won the
Goalkeeper award and placed second in the 2006 . Buffon was named
of the 21st Century and of the decade by .
Buffon is renowned for his consistent performances throughout his career, and has received praise from managers, players and present and former goalkeeping colleagues, for his concentration and longevity. He is often considered to be the prototype for the modern goalkeeper. He has been described as "an agile, strong, and commanding shot-stopper, who is hugely experienced at the highest level" and "an accomplished and well respected keeper" with "an excellent positional sense, courage, charisma, power, and class". Buffon has been praised for his athleticism, his "outstanding shot-stopping", his acrobatic dives, and his quick reflexes, despite being such a large, imposing keeper. In his prime, he was also recognised for being quick to rush off his line, and for his dominant aerial ability and handling, as well as reliable footwork, distribution, and ball skills, which occasionally led him to take on defenders in his youth. He has also been praised for his leadership as Juventus's and Italy's captain, and has been described as "a vocal organizer of the defence, and a key dressing room personality".
While at Parma, Buffon's decision to wear the
shirt, rather than his previous number 1 shirt, for the
caused controversy in Italy. However, Buffon claimed to be unaware of the number's
connotations, stating that 88 represented four balls, which are symbols of the character and attributes of a person. He stated that they were meant to signify his need for these attributes after his injury prior to , and that they also represented his "rebirth". He subsequently offered to change numbers, choosing the
77, after carefully researching its meaning.
In a match against Lazio in September 1999, he had previously also faced heavy criticism and severe disciplinary sanctions for bearing the fascist slogan "Boia chi molla" (who gives up is a scoundrel) handwritten on a T-shirt under his goalkeeping jersey, which he proceeded to show to the fans after the match. Buffon publicly apologised, stating that it was a stupid and naive gesture, because he was completely ignorant of the slogan's neo-fascist connotations, stating that he had first encountered the slogan written on a boarding school desk, and was unaware of its far right-wing association and, in particular, its use with the neo-fascists in Reggio Calabria during the
in the early 1970s. He declared that he merely intended to use the slogan to spur on his team mates and the fans, as Parma had previously encountered some disappointing results.
On 12 May 2006, during the height of the , Buffon was accused of illegally betting on Serie A matches, which initially put his place in Italy's 2006 World Cup squad at risk. Buffon was formally interrogated, and admitted placing bets on sporting matches, until players were forbidden from doing so in October 2005, but denied ever placing wagers on Italian football matches. He was cleared of all charges in December 2006.
Buffon has been sponsored by German sportswear company
during his career, wearing Puma gloves and Puma King football boots, and has appeared in Puma commercials. Buffon was featured on the cover of the Italian edition of 's , alongside global coverstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Buffon also features in ' , and was named alongside ,
in the Ultimate Team Best Goalkeepers in .
Buffon has featured in
commercials, including an advertisement for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan where he lined up alongside players including ,
in taking on a team of Sumo players.
Gianluigi Buffon was born into a family of Italian athletes. His mother, Maria Stella, was a
and his father, Adriano, following their athletic retirement, they subsequently worked as school teachers. Buffon’s two sisters, Veronica and Guendalina, played
for the , and his uncle, Dante Masocco, was a
player in Serie A1, who also represented the National Team. In addition to this, former Inter, Milan and Italy Goalkeeping legend
is also a cousin of Gianluigi Buffon’s grandfather. Buffon is Catholic.
Buffon married Czech model
in June 2011, although they had been in a relationship together since 2005. They have two children, Louis Thomas (b. 2007, named after Buffon's idol ) and David Lee (b. 2009) In May 2014, Buffon announced that had separated from his wife after three years of marriage. He has recently been romantically linked to the Italian sports pundit, journalist and television host . Prior to his relationship and marriage to ?eredová, Buffon had previously been engaged to the sprinter of the , .
In 2013, Buffon claimed to have suffered with bouts of depression during the 2003–04 season, following Juventus's penalty shoot-out defeat in the 2003 Champion's League final, and due to Juventus's negative performance that season. Buffon regularly visited a psychologist and overcame his depression prior to Euro 2004.
On 14 November 2008, Buffon released the Italian edition of his autobiography "Numero 1", which was written in collaboration with writer Roberto Perrone. In the introduction, he is described as "the greatest goalkeeper in the world – one of the four or five keepers that will always be remembered in the history world football." In 2009, Buffon, an avid poker player and gambler, was hired by
(an online poker room), to endorse their products. In December 2009, Buffon was included in
"Team of the Decade".
On 16 July 2010, he became a share-holding partner of
(his hometown and favourite childhood club, along with Genoa); he owns 50% of the shares along with
and Maurizio Mian. On 10 June 2011, he acquired 20% of the club's shares, confirming and increasing his support for his hometown club. On 6 July 2012, Buffon become the sole shareholder of Carrarese Calcio through his family's company: "Buffon & co". In May 2015, he stated that he would be stepping down from his position as the owner of Carrarese at the end of the season, in June.
On 30 May 2011, he joined the Board of Directors of the Zucchi Group S.p.A., with a share of 19.4%.
On 7 May 2012, Buffon was elected vicepresident of the
(AIC); this was the first time an active footballer had held this position. That same year, Buffon joined the "Respect Diversity" Programme, through UEFA, which aimed to fight against racism, discrimination and intolerance of any kind. Buffon is also known for his charity work. In addition to his other charitable endeavours, after every match, he auctions off his personalised captain's armband for charity. The same year, he was voted the 20th best footballer in the world by , finishing as the second highest ranked goalkeeper, behind .
Prior to the , Buffon publicly endorsed the Prime Minister at the time, .
On 1 September 2014, Buffon, along with many current and former footballing stars, took part in the "Match for Peace", which was played at the , in Rome, with the proceeds being donated to charity.
Buffon was awarded the
Prize on 2 September 2014, which is given to a footballer in recognition of their career. In December 2014, Buffon was named the fifth best goalkeeper in the world by the , at the age of 36, behind , , , he was the oldest goalkeeper to be present in the top 10.
As of 30 May 2015
Other Cups
Career total
1Includes .
3Includes .
As of 31 March 2015
Seventh most appearances in the
(554 appearances as of 30 May 2015)
Third most appearances for
in all competitions (534 appearances as of 30 May 2015)
Third most appearances for
(386 appearances as of 30 May 2015)
Third most appearances for
in Italian League matches (Includes
and ) (423 appearances as of 30 May 2015)
Second most appearances for
(85 appearances as of 13 May 2015)
Second most appearances for
(94 appearances as of 13 May 2015)
Second most appearances for
in International Club Competitions (94 appearances as of 13 May 2015)
Joint-most appearances for
(37 appearances as of 16 February 2015)
Most appearances for
(147 appearances as of 31 March 2015)
Least number of goals conceded in a single
edition by a starting World Cup winning goalkeeper, alongside
(2 goals in 7 appearances at the )
Most clean-sheets in a single World Cup edition, alongside , , , , and
(5 clean sheets at the )
Sixth longest consecutive run without conceding a goal in , alongside
(745 minutes from )
One of the only 3 players to take part in 5 , alongside
Most number of clean sheets for
(60 clean sheets, as of 30 October 2014)
Most number of clean sheets in the
(248 clean sheets, as of 2 May 2015)
to ever be awarded the
of all time
Longest unbeaten streak in International
(568 minutes)
1 : ; Runner-up:
, , , , , ; Runner-up:
1 : ; Runner-up: , ,
4 : , , , ; Runner-up: ,
Runner-up:
Runner-up:
Individual
1 : 2002–03
1 : 2002–03
Runner-up:
Award: , , , , 2014
Best goalkeeper of the decade:
Best goalkeeper of the past 25 years: 2010
Best goalkeeper of the 21st Century
Collar of Merit Sports: 2006
These titles were revoked through the courts following the .
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