Full Name
Gianluigi Buffon
Position
Goalkeeper
Born
28 January 1978
Country
Italy
Clubs
Parma (Italy)
Juventus (Italy)
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Juventus (Italy)
Parma (Italy)
Professional Career
1995-Present
International Caps/Goals
176 caps/0 goals
Honours
10 Serie A Scudetto, 5 Coppa Italia, 6 Italian Super Cup (Juventus)
1 French Ligue 1 title (Paris Saint-Germain)
1 Serie B title (Juventus)
1 Coppa Italia, 1 Italian Super Cup (Parma)
1 UEFA Cup (Parma)
2006 FIFA World Cup (Italy)
Starting his career at Parma, Gianluigi “Gigi” Buffon showed promise at a young age, making his senior debut at only 17. In 2001, Juventus smashed the world transfer record to sign him, and the rest is history. Buffon went on to play more than 600 games for the Italian giant, winning a record nine Scudetto, and claiming the longest streak in clean sheets (974 minutes in the 2015/16 season).
After 17 seasons at Juventus, Buffon switch to French Ligue 1 for a taste of other leagues’ football. He returned to Juventus after a season at Paris Saint-Germain, where he won a league title medal.
Buffon’s 176 caps with Italy is also a national record, which included his participation in the five straight World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014). He lifted the World Cup trophy in 2006, and his splendid performances that year saw him came close in winning the coveted Ballon d’Or, where he was named the runner-up to his fellow Italian teammate Fabio Cannavaro. Nevertheless, Buffon was rewarded with five World’s Best Goalkeeper awards in his football career, a honourable recognition as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation.
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