Gianluigi Buffon

Early life

Buffon was born in Carrara, Tuscany. His mother, Maria Stella Masocco, was a discus thrower, while his father, Adriano, was a weightlifter of Friulian origin, from Latisana. Following their athletic retirement, they worked as P.E. school teachers. Buffon's two sisters, Veronica and Guendalina, played volleyball for the Italian national volleyball team, while his maternal uncle, Dante Masocco, was a basketball player in Serie A1, who also represented the national team. Buffon is also the second cousin twice removed of football goalkeeper Lorenzo Buffon.

In his youth, Buffon supported a number of clubs, including his hometown club Carrarese, Serie A heavyweight Juventus, and German side Borussia Mönchengladbach. Between the ages of eight and twelve, Buffon turned to supporting Inter Milan due to his admiration for manager Giovanni Trapattoni, along with Italian sides Pescara, Como, Avellino, and Campobasso, before finally settling with Genoa. He was a member of the ultras of Carrarese, specifically the "Commando Ultrà Indian Tips", and has the group's name printed on his goalkeeping gloves.

Club career

Parma

Buffon played youth football as a midfielder with La Spezia–based amateur club U.S.D. Canaletto Sepor, before returning to Carrara to play for Perticata, then Bonascola. Buffon's first footballing idol was midfielder Blaž Slišković during the latter's first stint at Pescara. Despite offers from Bologna and Milan, Buffon began his career with the Parma youth system in 1991, as the team's coach was struck by his physical qualities. At the youth academy, he played in several out-field positions, especially as a midfielder, before switching to goalkeeper. His idol Thomas N'Kono inspired this change of position due to his goalkeeping for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup; when both of the Parma youth team's keepers suddenly suffered injuries, Buffon was called upon due to his interest, height and physical attributes. He quickly adapted to this role, and within two weeks he had been promoted to first keeper of the Parma youth team.

After a call-up to train with the first team during the summer of 1994, Buffon was promoted to the senior squad in 1995 and, at the age of 17 years and 295 days, made his Serie A debut for Parma under Nevio Scala on 19 November 1995. Buffon made seven more first team appearances that season and one appearance in the Coppa Italia, making his debut in the competition. At Parma, he trained under goalkeeping coach Villiam Vecchi.

In the 1996–97 Serie A season, Buffon was named as the starting goalkeeper for Parma. He conceded 17 goals in 27 appearances, and his performances gained attention in Italy. Parma were eliminated in the first round of the UEFA Cup, where Buffon made his European debut in a 2–0 defeat to Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães on 24 September 1996. In the 1997–98 season, Parma finished in fifth place in Serie A and reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Buffon debuted in the UEFA Champions League that season. Buffon acquired his nickname "Superman" during the season when he stopped a penalty by Inter striker Ronaldo. He celebrated the save by revealing a Superman T-shirt underneath his jersey; the nickname was also a reference to Buffon's athleticism, agility and aerial ability.

In his fourth season with the club, Buffon won his first European trophy, the UEFA Cup. He also won the Coppa Italia with Parma that season. Buffon's performances that season earned him his first Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Award and the Bravo Award. He placed fifth in the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper rankings, and received his first Ballon d'Or nomination. In the following season, he won his first Supercoppa Italiana title against Serie A champions Milan, and Parma finished fourth in Serie A once again, tied with Inter for the final remaining Champions League spot. Parma lost 3–1 to Inter in the European playoff match. Buffon helped lead Parma to another Coppa Italia final in the 2000–01 season, but were defeated by Fiorentina. Parma also finished the season in fourth place for the third consecutive year, which allowed them to go through to the Champions League play-off round. Buffon was voted Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the second time in his career, and also placed third in the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award.

Juventus

On 3 July 2001, Buffon was sold to Juventus for a world-record goalkeeper's transfer fee of 100 billion lire. This transfer fee made Buffon Juventus' most expensive purchase ever; the record broken in 2016 by the acquisition of Gonzalo Higuaín. He was given the number 1 shirt as the starting goalkeeper, replacing Edwin van der Sar. Although negotiations were ongoing with Barcelona, he chose Juventus because his father convinced him he would be likely to achieve his ambition of winning the Scudetto.

In his first season with Juventus, Buffon appeared in 45 official matches, helping his team to the Serie A title. Juventus was the team with the least goals conceded, with 22 goals in 34 Serie A matches. Juventus also finished as runners-up in the Coppa Italia to Parma; Buffon only made one appearance in the competition. Buffon was awarded his third Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Award was nominated for the UEFA Team of the Year, losing to Rüştü Reçber.

At the beginning of the 2002–03 season, Juventus won the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana 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 UEFA Champions League final, but lost in a penalty shoot-out to Milan. Buffon drew praise for making a reaction save from a close-range header by Filippo Inzaghi in the final during regulation time, which he later described as the most difficult save of his career in his 2008 autobiography. Juventus obtained their second consecutive Serie A, finishing with the least goals conceded with only 23 goals in 32 appearances. He also became the only goalkeeper ever to win the now defunct UEFA Most Valuable Player or UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award. He won the UEFA Best Goalkeeper award, and was elected to the UEFA Team of the Year and named the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper. Buffon was also nominated for the 2003 Ballon d'Or that season, finishing in ninth place.

In the 2003–04 season, Juventus were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League and finished the Serie A season in third place, and also reached the Coppa Italia final. Buffon made his 100th appearance for Juventus that season on 30 September 2003 in a 2–1 away win over Olympiacos. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He was again elected as the Goalkeeper for the UEFA Team of the Year and as the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper. Buffon received his first FIFA World Player of the Year nomination in 2004, finishing in 21st place.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 6 July 2018, Buffon signed a one-year contract, with the option for a second year, with Paris Saint-Germain. He made his competitive debut for PSG on 4 August, keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 win against Monaco in the 2018 Trophée des Champions. Buffon made his Ligue 1 debut on 12 August, keeping a clean sheet in a 3–0 home win over Caen. He was used in a rotational role with Alphonse Areola during the 2018–19 season by manager Thomas Tuchel. After serving a three-match ban in UEFA club competitions, Buffon started for PSG in a 1–1 away draw against Napoli on 6 November, and was beaten by an Insigne penalty; at the age of 40 years and 282 days, he became the second-oldest player ever to make their Champions League debut for a club after Mark Schwarzer, who made his debut in the competition with Chelsea in a 1–0 home victory over Steaua București on 11 December 2013, aged 41 years and 65 days. On 18 December, following an injury to Areola, Buffon played the second half of an eventual 2–1 away win over Orléans in the round of 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue. PSG were eliminated from the competition in the following round after a surprise 2–1 home defeat to Guingamp on 9 January 2019, during which Buffon remained on the bench.

On 12 February, Buffon kept his 50th Champions League clean sheet in a 2–0 away win over Manchester United, becoming only the third goalkeeper to reach this milestone after Iker Casillas (57) and Edwin van der Sar (51). He also made his 121st Champions League appearance – excluding qualifying rounds – during the same match, which made him the player with the tenth-most appearances of all time in the competition. In the return leg in Paris on 6 March, Buffon came under criticism in the media for committing an error with the score tied 1–1, after he spilled Marcus Rashford's long-range shot, thus allowing Romelu Lukaku to score from the rebound and send United into the lead; following an injury-time goal from a penalty by Rashford, Manchester United completed a comeback to win the match 3–1, advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals. PSG finished the season as Ligue 1 champions, which saw Buffon win his tenth league title of his career, the most of any Italian player. PSG later lost 6–5 on penalties to Rennes in the 2019 Coupe de France final, following a 2–2 draw after extra time, although Buffon did not appear during the final.

On 5 June, it was confirmed that he was leaving the club after one season.

Return to Juventus

On 4 July 2019, after a season away from Juventus, Buffon signed a one-year contract with the club. Upon arrival, he was offered the number 1 shirt by Wojciech Szczęsny and the captaincy by Giorgio Chiellini, but he turned them down, saying "I didn't come back to take something from someone or take it back...I just want to do my bit for the team". Instead, he chose to wear number 77; the same number he had worn during his final season at Parma, before joining Juventus in 2001. He made his first appearance since his return to the club on 21 September, in a 2–1 home win over Verona in Serie A; this was his 902nd career club appearance, which equalled Paolo Maldini's record as the Italian player with the most career club appearances. On 28 September, he overtook Maldini with his 903rd appearance in a 2–0 home win over SPAL in Serie A.

On 30 October 2019, Buffon made his 513th league appearance for Juventus (including Serie B matches) in a 2–1 home win over Genoa in Serie A, equalling Del Piero as the player with the most league appearances for the club. On 11 December, he kept his 51st Champions League clean sheet (excluding those in the qualifying rounds) in a 2–0 away win over Bayer Leverkusen in Juventus' final group match of the campaign, equalling Van der Sar as the goalkeeper with the second-most clean sheets ever in the competition, behind only Iker Casillas. On 15 December, he made his 700th Italian league appearance in a 3–1 home win over Udinese; during the same match, he also made his 478th Serie A appearance for Juventus, which saw him equal Del Piero as the player with the most appearances in the competition for the club. On 18 December, in a 2–1 away win over Sampdoria, Buffon made his 479th Serie A appearance for Juventus, surpassing Del Piero's appearance record for the club in the Italian top flight, as well as making his 647th overall Serie A appearance, tying Maldini as the player with the most appearances in the competition.

On 13 February 2020, Buffon made nine saves in a 1–1 away draw against Milan in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals. He started in the final against Napoli on 17 June, keeping a clean sheet and making a series of injury-time saves to keep the score tied at 0–0; however, Juventus suffered a 4–2 defeat in the resulting penalty shoot-out, with Buffon unable to save any spot kicks. On 29 June, Buffon signed a new contract with Juventus, extending until June 2021. On 4 July, he made his 648th appearance in Serie A in a 4–1 home win over rivals Torino, overtaking Maldini as the most capped player of all time in the competition, also becoming the most capped player in Europe's top five leagues with 665 appearances, including his 17 Ligue 1 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain during the 2018–19 season.

Return to Parma and retirement

On 17 June 2021, after days of speculation following his departure from Juventus, newly relegated Parma announced the return of Buffon through a short video posted on the club's official Twitter account. Upon winning the Coppa Italia in his last season at Juventus, many expected that it was going to be the end of his career. Instead, he announced that he was going to join his boyhood club; this marked 20 years since he left Parma for Juventus in 2001. On 20 August 2021, Buffon made his first appearance, conceding a late equaliser in a 2–2 away draw against Frosinone.

On 5 February 2022, following a 0–0 away draw against Benevento in Serie B, Buffon became the first goalkeeper ever in men's association football to keep 500 clean sheets (322 with Juventus, 92 with Parma, 9 with PSG and 77 with Italy). On 28 February, Parma announced Buffon's contract extension until 2024, which would have kept him playing until the age of 46.

On 2 August 2023, at the age of 45 and after a 28-year playing career, Buffon announced his retirement from professional football. His final career appearance was on 30 May of that year, in the first leg of the semi-finals of the 2022–23 Serie B promotion play-offs; Parma lost out to 3–2 to eventual winners Cagliari after leading 2–0 at half-time, with Buffon going off injured at the break, which ruled him out of the second leg.

International career

Youth career, early call-ups and Euro 2000 qualification

Buffon represented Italy at all youth levels, from the under-16 side to the under-23 side, as well as the Olympic side in 1996. With the under-16 side, he reached the final of the 1993 UEFA European Under-16 Championship, saving two penalties and even scoring one himself in the quarter-final shootout victory over Spain, and subsequently saving three penalties – but also missing one himself – in the semi-final shootout victory over Czechoslovakia. With the Italy under-17 side he took part at the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Japan. In 1995, he reached the final of the UEFA European under-19 Championship with the Italian under-19 side. He was a member of Italy's 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship-winning squad. Buffon was a member of the Italy squad that won the gold medal for football at the 1997 Mediterranean Games in Bari, on home soil. Buffon currently holds the record for the most clean sheets with the Italy national side.

Buffon was awarded his first cap for the senior Italy national team under Cesare Maldini on 29 October 1997, aged 19 years, 274 days, as an injury replacement for Gianluca Pagliuca during the first leg of the 1998 World Cup qualification play-off against Russia, in Moscow; with this cap, Buffon became the youngest goalkeeper to feature for Italy post-World War II. This record was beaten by Gianluigi Donnarumma on 1 September 2016. Buffon came on in the 31st minute and made notable saves under snowy conditions in a 1–1 draw, including an important stop from a Dmitri Alenichev shot, only being beaten by a Fabio Cannavaro own goal. The result helped Italy to qualify for the upcoming World Cup 2–1 on aggregate. He was a member of the squad for the 1998 World Cup finals, initially as the third choice goalkeeper; after an injury to starting goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi, Buffon was promoted to second-choice goalkeeper behind Pagliuca, with Francesco Toldo being called up as third-choice, but Buffon did not play a single game in the tournament. Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals on penalties to hosts and eventual 1998 World Cup champions France.

Buffon became the first choice goalkeeper during the Euro 2000 qualifying campaign and was due to start in goal during the competition under manager and former Italy goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff, but he broke his hand while attempting to stop John Carew's goal in a 1–0 defeat against Norway in a friendly match days before the start of the tournament. His starting place was taken by backup goalkeeper Francesco Toldo. Italy reached the final of the tournament, losing once again to France.

World Cup and European Championship debut

Francesco Toldo's impressive performances at Euro 2000 meant that he retained his place in the first team for the beginning of Italy's 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign. In spite of heavy competition from Toldo, Buffon regained the starting goalkeeping spot for the fourth match of the qualification series, away to Romania, and was the starting goalkeeper for the remaining four matches under Giovanni Trapattoni as Italy qualified with an unbeaten record.

Buffon played every minute of Italy's 2002 World Cup campaign, keeping a clean sheet in the opening match against Ecuador, and saving a controversial penalty against co-hosts South Korea 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 at Euro 2004, keeping a clean sheet in his nation's opening 0–0 draw 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, five-point tie with Sweden and Denmark.

2006 World Cup champion

Buffon was once again the first choice goalkeeper under his former Juventus coach and Trapattoni's replacement Marcello Lippi, as Italy finished first in their 2006 World Cup qualifying group. Although his place in Italy's 2006 World Cup was initially in doubt, as he was being investigated for possible involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, he was later named by Lippi as Italy's starting goalkeeper for the tournament.

During the 2006 World Cup finals, Buffon was in excellent form, setting a World Cup record by conceding just two goals in seven matches, and keeping five clean sheets. In addition, he posted a 453-minute scoreless streak, only 64 minutes short of compatriot Walter Zenga's all-time unbeaten record from the 1990 World Cup. The only goals he conceded were not in open play; an own goal by teammate Cristian Zaccardo after a free-kick against the United States in Italy's second match of the group stage, and a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the final against France. In the final, Buffon later made an important save in extra time on a header from eventual Golden Ball winner Zidane, which Buffon later described as the most important save of his career. The match ended 1–1 after extra time and was followed by a penalty shootout in which neither Buffon nor Fabien Barthez saved a spot kick. The lone miss was David Trezeguet's effort which hit the bottom of the crossbar and failed to cross the line, enabling Italy's Fabio Grosso to seal the victory for Italy. Buffon was named Man of the Match in Italy's 1–0 victory over Australia in the round of 16, and later also received the Yashin Award as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, producing 40 saves, and was elected to the Team of the Tournament. Buffon also finished second to compatriot Fabio Cannavaro in the 2006 Ballon d'Or and eighth in the FIFA World Player of the Year for his performances that season, and was named in the 2006 FIFPro World XI and the 2006 UEFA Team of the Year. In 2013, Nick Miller of ESPN FC named Buffon's save against Lukas Podolski in Italy's 2–0 victory against hosts Germany in the semi-finals as one of the greatest in World Cup history, placing it at number nine in his list of "World Cup's greatest ever saves". In 2019, Diario AS placed the latter save at number eight in their collection of "The 10 greatest saves of all time".

Post-World Cup victory

Buffon wore the captain's armband for Italy for the first time under manager Roberto Donadoni, in a 2–0 home win over Georgia in a Euro 2008 qualifier, due to the suspension of regular skipper Fabio Cannavaro. He was later named Italy's second acting captain for Euro 2008 after incumbent Cannavaro was ruled out of the tournament due to injury, and as Italy's replacement captain Alessandro Del Piero was frequently deployed as a substitute. He made his first appearance as Italy's captain in the nation's opening fixture of Euro 2008 on 9 June, a 3–0 defeat to the Netherlands. In the second game of the group stage against Romania on 13 June, he saved an 81st-minute penalty from Adrian Mutu to keep Italy's hopes alive following their opening defeat, as the match ended 1–1. Buffon kept a clean sheet against France in the final group game, and garnered praise in the media for a notable save against Karim Benzema, 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 eventual champions Spain; Buffon saved one penalty in the shootout and was elected to the Team of the Tournament for his performances.

Upon Marcello Lippi's return, Buffon was confirmed as the starting goalkeeper. He played all three group matches during Italy's disappointing 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup campaign in South Africa, in which they finished third in their group in a 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 World Cup qualifying campaign as they finished top of their group, undefeated.

In the 2010 World Cup, Buffon was replaced at half-time in Italy's 1–1 draw in their opening group stage match against Paraguay after he had a problem with his sciatic nerve. He did not play again in the tournament and was substituted by Federico Marchetti. Reigning champions Italy disappointed and failed to win a match, finishing last in their group with just two points.

Italy captain and Euro 2012 runner-up

After the international retirement of Fabio Cannavaro, Buffon became the new captain of the national team under new manager Cesare Prandelli. On 9 February 2011, after recovering from a back injury, Buffon played his first game as Italy's official captain in a 1–1 friendly draw against Germany in Dortmund. On 6 September 2011, after a 1–0 Italy win over Slovenia, Buffon surpassed Dino Zoff and established the new record for most minutes without conceding a goal in European Championship qualifying matches, going 644 minutes without conceding a goal; the win also allowed Italy to qualify for Euro 2012. On 11 October, prior to Italy's 3–0 win in a European qualifier against Northern Ireland, Buffon received a commemorative cap and medal from UEFA to mark his 100th international appearance. On 15 November 2011, in a friendly match against Uruguay, Buffon surpassed Zoff's number of caps for Italy (112), putting him behind only the retired former Italian captains Cannavaro and Paolo Maldini; he overtook Zoff in Italy's next friendly match against the United States on 29 February 2012. He was subsequently selected as Italy's starting goalkeeper and captain for Euro 2012 after leading his national side to qualify for the tournament undefeated, only conceding two goals.

At Euro 2012, Buffon captained Italy during the tournament. He kept a clean sheet against the Republic of Ireland in the third group stage match and against England, saving a crucial penalty from Ashley Cole in the quarter-final shootout, in which he was elected man of the match. In the semi-final match against Germany, Buffon made several important saves, only being beaten by a penalty from Mesut Özil in the 92nd minute; Italy won the match 2–1 and advanced to the final against defending European and World champions Spain. 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 Team of the Tournament for his performances.

2014 World Cup qualifying and 2013 Confederations Cup

On 26 March 2013, in a 2014 World Cup qualifying match against Malta, Buffon earned his 126th cap for Italy, equalling Paolo Maldini's number of caps for the national team. In the same match, Buffon saved a penalty from Michael Mifsud, helping Italy to a 2–0 away win.

Buffon was included in the Italian squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil and played in every match of the tournament as captain. Italy progressed to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time, where they faced Spain, a rematch of the Euro 2012 final. After a 0–0 draw, Italy lost 7–6 in the resulting penalty shootout; neither Buffon or Spanish counterpart Iker Casillas were able to stop a penalty in the shootout; the lone miss, by Leonardo Bonucci, was hit over bar. In the third-place match, Italy defeated Uruguay 3–2 in the penalty shootout after a 2–2 deadlock following extra time; Buffon saved three penalties from Diego Forlán, Juventus teammate Martín Cáceres and Walter Gargano.

In the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture against the Czech Republic, at Juventus Stadium in Turin on 10 September 2013, Buffon equalled Cannavaro as the Italy national team record appearance holder, with 136 caps. Italy won the match 2–1, allowing them to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil top of their group, with two games at hand; this was the first time that the Italian squad had done so. On 11 October 2013, in a 2–2 World Cup qualifier 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 Italy national side's best player of the year.

2014 World Cup

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", with Costa Rica, England and Uruguay. Buffon became the third player to be part of five World Cup squads, tying the records held by Mexican goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal and German footballer Lothar Matthäus. Due to an ankle injury suffered in training, Buffon was not selected to start in Italy's first match of the World Cup against England on 14 June 2014.

In Italy's next group match, which ended in a 1–0 loss to Costa Rica, he captained his national side for the first time at a World Cup, the fourth World Cup in which he appeared. In Italy's final group game against Uruguay, Buffon saved shots from Luis Suárez and Nicolás Lodeiro, as Italy were reduced to ten men following Claudio Marchisio's controversial red card. Buffon was eventually beaten in the 81st minute by a Diego Godín header, moments after Luis Suárez's bite on Giorgio Chiellini. 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.

Euro 2016

Buffon made his first appearance for Italy under new manager Antonio Conte on 9 September 2014, captaining his team in their opening European Championship qualifying match against Norway in Oslo. He kept a clean sheet as Italy won the match 2–0. On 12 June 2015, Buffon became the first player to appear in 50 UEFA competitive international matches in Italy's 1–1 away draw against Croatia in a European qualifying match. Buffon saved an early Mario Mandžukić penalty, but was taken off at half time due to injury. He made his 150th appearance for Italy on 6 September 2015, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 home win over Bulgaria, his 62nd clean sheet at the international level.

After the Euro qualification, Buffon stated that Euro 2016 would be the final European Championship of his career, but expressed his intentions to retire only after the 2018 World Cup, which would see him play up to the age of 40. On 31 May 2016, Buffon was named the captain of Conte's 23-man Italy squad for Euro 2016. In Italy's first game of the tournament on 13 June, Buffon kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory over Belgium. This was Buffon's 14th appearance at the European Championships, making him Italy's out-right most capped player of all time in the tournament, after overtaking Maldini, Del Piero and Cassano; with his fourth tournament appearance, he also equalled Del Piero for the most UEFA European Championships played in by an Italian player. He kept another clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Sweden in Italy's second group fixture on 17 June, which allowed his nation to top the group and advance to the second round. Due to fever, Buffon was rested in Italy's final group match. He returned to the starting line-up for Italy's round of 16 fixture against Spain on 27 June, making a crucial injury time save on Gerard Piqué to earn his third consecutive clean sheet of the tournament, as Italy avenged their Euro 2012 final defeat with a 2–0 victory over the defending champions. After a 1–1 draw following extra time in Italy's quarter-final fixture against Germany on 2 July, Buffon saved one penalty in the resulting shootout, although the reigning World Cup champions would ultimately emerge victorious following a 6–5 shootout loss. His one on one save to deny Mario Gómez in regulation time was later nominated for the UEFA Save of the Season Award, later coming in third.

2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, retirement and brief return

On 6 October 2016, Buffon made his 164th appearance for Italy in a 1–1 draw against Spain in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match in Turin, under manager Gian Piero Ventura, making him the joint eighth-most capped international player of all time with Cobi Jones, and the second-most capped active international player, behind only Iker Casillas. On 15 November 2016, Buffon won his 167th Italy cap in their friendly 0–0 draw in Milan against Germany, equalling the European international appearance record jointly held by Iker Casillas and Vitālijs Astafjevs, and making him the most capped active international player in the world alongside Casillas. On 1 January 2017, Buffon was awarded the 2016 Pallone Azzurro Award, as Italy's best international player throughout the calendar year, becoming the first player to win the award more than once. On 24 March, Buffon made his 1,000th career appearance, keeping a clean sheet (his 426th overall for club and country) in a 2–0 home over Albania in a World Cup qualifier, becoming the 18th player to reach this milestone; in the process, he also became the sole most capped European player at international level, with his 168th appearance for Italy, and the joint fifth-most capped male international footballer of all time, alongside Iván Hurtado.

On 2 September, Buffon made his 170th international appearance in a 3–0 away defeat to Spain in a World Cup qualifier; he later extended his European international appearance record with his 172nd appearance for Italy on 6 October, in a 1–1 home draw against Macedonia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier, making him the fourth-most capped male international footballer of all time, ahead of Egyptian striker Hossam Hassan (169), and behind only Egyptian midfielder Ahmed Hassan (184), Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea (178), and Mexican defender Claudio Suárez (177).

Buffon's 175th international appearance came on 13 November, in the second leg of the World Cup play-offs against Sweden, at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. Although he kept a clean sheet in the 0–0 draw, Italy's 1–0 away loss in the first leg on 10 November saw Sweden advance on aggregate, meaning that Italy had failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. Although he had originally intended to retire after competing in the 2018 World Cup, following the match and Italy's failure to qualify the tournament, an emotional and tearful Buffon communicated his retirement from international football, stating: "I'm not sorry for myself but all of Italian football. We failed at something which also means something on a social level. There's regret at finishing like that, not because time passes. There is certainly a future for Italian football, as we have pride, ability, determination and after bad tumbles, we always find a way to get back on our feet."

Player profile

Style of play and reception

Known for his consistency throughout his career, Buffon received recognition from managers, players, and goalkeeping colleagues for his composure under pressure, work-rate, and longevity. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he has been cited by subsequent players as a major influence and role model. He was 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 "[e]xcellent positional sense, courage, power and class".

Buffon was praised for his athleticism, his "outstanding shot-stopping", his acrobatic dives, and his quick reflexes, as well as his ability to produce decisive saves, despite being a tall, large and physically imposing goalkeeper. Although he at times was criticised for not being particularly adept at stopping penalties, he was also proven to be effective in this area, as demonstrated by his penalty-saving record; with sixteen saves, he has stopped the joint-fifth-highest number of penalties in Serie A history, alongside Giuseppe Moro.

In his prime, Buffon was a talented, complete, brave, aggressive, and often instinctive and frenetic goalkeeper, who was recognised for his speed, prowess, and anticipation when coming off his line in one on one situations, as well as his confidence, goalkeeping technique, reactions, and ability to get to ground quickly to collect, parry, or even challenge for the ball with his feet; when playing in teams that relied upon high defensive lines and a zonal marking system, he often functioned as a sweeper-keeper, frequently rushing out of his area to clear the ball or face opponents who had beaten the offside trap. He was also highly regarded for his handling, aerial ability, and command of the area on high balls; however, throughout his career, Buffon was occasionally accused by pundits of being overly cautious on crosses and of not always coming out to collect them, and also drew criticism for preferring to punch the ball out to his teammates at times rather than holding on to it.

Although not as adept with the ball at his feet as the newer generation of goalkeepers that emerged in his later career, Buffon also possessed good footwork, as well as reliable distribution, which enabled him to adapt to more contemporary systems requiring goalkeepers to play with their feet more frequently and be involved in the build-up of plays. His confidence in possession allowed him to play the ball out from the back on the ground to his defenders and start swift counter-attacks, as well as find his teammates further up the pitch or out on the wing with deeper kicks with his right foot. In his youth, his ball skills even occasionally led him to take on opponents, whenever he was put under pressure by on-running strikers.

Legacy

Buffon is widely regarded by players, pundits and managers as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and by some in the sport as the greatest ever. In the introduction of his 2008 autobiography, Numero 1 (Number 1), Roberto Perrone describes him as: "the greatest goalkeeper in the world, one of the four or five that will always live on in the memory of world football". In 2012, he was voted the 20th best footballer in the world by The Guardian, finishing as the second-highest ranked goalkeeper, behind Iker Casillas. Buffon was awarded the Nereo Rocco Prize on 2 September 2014, which is given to a footballer in recognition of their career. In 2015, France Football rated him as one of the ten best footballers in the world over the age of 36. In 2016, he was named the greatest goalkeeper in history by the same magazine. Later that year, he was also voted the UEFA Champions League's greatest goalkeeper of all time in an official UEFA online Twitter poll. In 2015, UEFA ranked Buffon as the third-best player ever not to have won the Champions League, while in 2019, FourFourTwo placed Buffon at number two behind only Ronaldo in their list of "The 25 best players never to win the Champions League". In May 2020, Sky Sports ranked him as the fourth-best player ever to have not won the Champions League or European Cup, and he was also voted the "Greatest Goalkeeper Ever" by users of Eurosport.com.

Attire

Although when he started his career it was more common for goalkeepers to wear long-sleeved jerseys, Buffon was always known for wearing short-sleeves throughout his entire career, even during the winter months; when asked in a 2017 interview with FourFourTwo why he preferred to wear short sleeves, he commented: "I really don't know why. It's just something that I've always done, right from the time I first started playing in goal. It always felt good. And now look: lots of goalkeepers do it. I've started a fashion." When asked again about his goalkeeping attire in a 2018 interview with L'Équipe's magazine Sports et Style, he stated that he first cut the sleeves off of his goalkeeping kit as a youngster, "for convenience and to feel more comfortable", also adding that he "feel[s] more when the ball touches [his] forearms".

After retirement

After retiring from professional football, Buffon was appointed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as the head of delegation of the Italy national team on 5 August 2023, a position last held by the late Gianluca Vialli. In December 2023, he received his sporting director diploma through the Coverciano technical centre. On 2 April 2026, two days after Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Buffon resigned from this role. In August 2024, Buffon received the UEFA President's Award, presented by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin.

Outside of professional football

Personal life

Buffon is Catholic. He suffers from spheksophobia, as a result of being allergic to wasp stings.

In 2000, Buffon risked a four-year prison sentence for falsifying a high school accounting diploma in order to enroll for a law degree at the University of Parma, and ultimately paid a 6,350,000 Lire fine in 2001; he later described the incident as his biggest regret in life, stating that it had been a dishonest gesture.

In the early 2000s, Buffon had been engaged to Italian sprinter Vincenza Calì. In 2005, Buffon began a relationship with Czech model Alena Šeredová, marrying in June 2011. They have two sons, Louis Thomas (born in 2007 and named after Buffon's idol Thomas N'Kono) and David Lee (born in 2009 and named after Van Halen singer David Lee Roth). In May 2014, Buffon announced that he had separated from Šeredová after three years of marriage. Louis Buffon followed in the footsteps of his father and became a footballer. As of 2025, he plays as a forward for Serie A outfit Pisa SC and received a call-up for the Czech Republic national under-18 football team.

Soon after divorce, Buffon became romantically linked to Italian sports pundit, journalist and television host Ilaria D'Amico. In 2015, Buffon announced that the couple were expecting a child together. On 6 January 2016, the couple announced the birth of their son Leopoldo Mattia. In the summer of 2017, the pair became engaged. On 28 September 2024, Buffon and D'Amico married in Tuscany.

On 14 November 2008, Buffon released the Italian edition of his autobiography, Numero 1 (Number 1), which was written in collaboration with writer and Corriere della Sera journalist Roberto Perrone. In his autobiography, he revealed that he had suffered with bouts of depression during the 2003–04 season, following Juventus' penalty shoot-out defeat in the 2003 Champions League final, and due to Juventus' negative performance that season. In 2013, he elaborated that, between December 2003 and June 2004, he regularly visited a psychologist, but refused to take medication, and he overcame his depression prior to Euro 2004. In January 2019, he further revealed that he had even suffered from panic attacks due to his depression during his early career with Juventus, and that he even missed a game as a result.

Media and endorsements

Buffon was sponsored by German sportswear company Puma during his career, wearing Puma gloves and Puma King football boots, and has appeared in Puma commercials. Buffon has also featured in Pepsi commercials, including an advertisement for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, where he lined up alongside several other footballers, including David Beckham, Raúl and Roberto Carlos, in taking on a team of sumo players. In 2009, Buffon, an avid poker player and gambler, was hired by PokerStars to endorse their products.

Buffon was featured on the cover of the Italian edition of Konami's PES 2008, alongside global coverstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Buffon also features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, and was named alongside Manuel Neuer, Iker Casillas and Petr Čech in the Ultimate Team Best Goalkeepers in FIFA 14. He was included as one of the Ultimate Team Icons for EA Sports FC 25.

In 2011, he featured in a commercial for Italian mineral water company Ferrarelle.

In 2016, Buffon was chosen as the new face of Amica Chips. The following year, he was instead chosen as the new face of Head & Shoulders in Italy.

Throughout the 2017–18 season, Buffon appeared in the Netflix docu-series First Team: Juventus.

In May 2018, Buffon announced his partnership with the video game World of Tanks. Late that same year, he also featured in a commercial for Birra Moretti.

In December 2019, Buffon announced his collaboration with the Spanish clothing and accessories retailer Kimoa, which is owned by Spanish race car driver Fernando Alonso, to release four different limited edition models of sunglasses, which represent four European cities associated with Buffon's football career and achievements: Berlin (the location of the victorious 2006 World Cup final), Moscow (the city in which he made his international debut and won the UEFA Cup), Paris (the city in which his former club PSG is based), and Turin (the city in which his club at the time, Juventus, is based).

Business

On 16 July 2010, Buffon became a share-holding partner of his hometown club Carrarese; he initially owned 50% of the club's shares, along with Cristiano Lucarelli and Maurizio Mian. On 10 June 2011, he acquired an additional 20% of the club's shares. On 6 July 2012, Buffon become the sole shareholder of Carrarese through his family's company, Buffon & co. In May 2015, Buffon stated that he would be stepping down from his position as the owner of Carrarese at the end of the 2014–15 season; in July, he sold 70% of Carrarese's shares to the Italian real estate developer Raffaele Tartaglia, who took control of the club, although Buffon still remained with the club as a minority shareholder. After continuing to struggle with financial difficulties, the club officially declared bankruptcy on 11 March 2016.

On 30 May 2011, he joined the board of directors of the Italian textile company Zucchi Group S.p.A., with a share of 19.4%. Despite the company's financial difficulties, in 2015, Buffon, who had by then acquired 56% of the company's shares, had reportedly invested €20 million in order to save the company from bankruptcy. In late December, Zucchi was acquired by a French investment fund, Astrance Capital, which took control of Buffon's company GB Holding, under an agreement to restructure Zucchi Group's debt, while Buffon was allowed to retain a 15% share in the company.

In 2017, Buffon launched his own brand of wine under the name "Buffon #1".

Philanthropy

Buffon is also known for his charity work. In addition to his other charitable endeavours, after every match he auctioned off his personalised captain's armband for charity.

In 2012, Buffon joined the "Respect Diversity" Programme, through UEFA, which aimed to fight against racism, discrimination and intolerance in football.

On 1 September 2014, Buffon, along with many current and former footballing stars, took part in the "Match for Peace", which was played at Rome's Stadio Olimpico, with the proceeds being donated to charity.

In October 2019, Buffon was named a UN Goodwill Ambassador for the World Food Programme.

Union work

On 7 May 2012, Buffon was elected vice-president of the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC); this was the first time an active footballer had held this position.

Politics

Prior to the 2013 Italian general election, Buffon publicly endorsed the prime minister at the time, Mario Monti. Buffon was one of over 80 Italian celebrities to sign a petition in favour of the 2016 Italian constitutional referendum promoted by the Democratic Party under then prime minister Matteo Renzi. In 2021, Buffon described himself politically as an anarcho-conservative. In 2025, on the occasion of the radical right festival Atreju, Buffon praised Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, claiming that she represents the nation in the best way.

Career statistics

Honours

Parma

Coppa Italia: 1998–99

Supercoppa Italiana: 1999

UEFA Cup: 1998–99

Juventus

Serie A: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20

Serie B: 2006–07

Coppa Italia: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21

Supercoppa Italiana: 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020

UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2002–03, 2014–15, 2016–17

Paris Saint-Germain

Ligue 1: 2018–19

Coupe de France runner-up: 2018–19

Trophée des Champions: 2018

Italy U21

UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1996

Mediterranean Games: 1997

Italy

FIFA World Cup: 2006

UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2012

Individual

Bravo Award: 1999

Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Award: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017