When 'Superman' Buffon stopped flying
The opening match of Group B of the 1990 World Cup is still mentioned today as one of the most surprising matches in the tournament's history, when Cameroon defeated defending champion Argentina led by superstar Diego Maradona. The performance of the African representative that day inspired many underdog teams and contributed to the formation of a champion.
That was Gianluigi Buffon - who watched the match alone in the living room and was captivated by Cameroon goalkeeper Thomas N'Kono. The 12-year-old boy was overwhelmed by N'Kono's special appearance and artist style. The moment the Cameroon goalkeeper swung his body to punch the ball during a corner kick made Buffon determined to become a "wild, brave and free" player.
Five years later, that boy began playing his first professional match for Parma. And it only took that boy another six years to become the most expensive goalkeeper in world history. But it wasn't until the summer of 2023 that Buffon decided to hang up his gloves, ending a glorious career that far surpassed his childhood idol.
'Superman' in wooden frame
On Buffon's retirement, fellow journalist Gabriele Marcotti commented: "Gigi is a great player, no matter what angle you evaluate from." Whether it's talent, record transfer fee, persistence, professionalism or glory, he has it all. In Buffon's 28-year career, the biggest regret is that he has never lifted the Champions League cup, even though he reached the final three times.
But that doesn't make Buffon's stature any less great, as he is always on the list of the best goalkeepers of all time, whether the voters are spectators or football experts. Born into a family with athletic genes, with her father, mother and sisters all being professional discus and volleyball players, "Gigi" is by far the most famous person with the Buffon surname.
Buffon's career length is rarely equaled, as he spent most of his time playing football at Europe's top level. Buffon is a historical witness of the flow of football: released when Maradona was still playing football and future superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were still kids and Kylian Mbappe wasn't even born yet. Buffon played football with Enrico Chiesa at Parma and more than two decades later became a teammate of his son Federico Chiesa at Juventus.
A memorable debut against AC Milan on November 19, 1995 seemed to herald a brilliant career for Buffon. Up to now, many people still do not understand why Parma coach Nevio Scala chose 17-year-old Buffon to start against Milan that day. According to Cult of Calcio, all predictions at that time indicated that reserve goalkeeper Alessandro Nista, with experience in 150 matches in Italy's two highest divisions, would be the main starter, replacing injured number one goalkeeper Luca Bucci. . But Scala that day only asked Buffon if he was ready to play and immediately added his name to the official squad when he received the nod.
Parma's opponent that day was not an ordinary team, it was Fabio Capello's Milan with three Serie A championships in the last four seasons, not to mention being crowned Champions League just over a year earlier. But young goalkeeper Buffon still played the ball with poise, entered and exited reasonably and blocked shots from Golden Ball winners Roberto Baggio and George Weah. He even told his teammates after the match that "if only they had been awarded a penalty so I could have saved it".
Buffon played so well that the legendary Dino Zoff even had to affirm that "I have never seen a debut showing such bravery and quality", while coach Carlo Ancelotti said that he was "no different from an alien at his age". 17". Not only did Buffon have good reflexes, he also showed initiative in his plays by directly jumping up to block opposing players instead of passively waiting for the ball to arrive like many goalkeepers of his time. Witnessing Buffon's debut at Parma as well as what he shows every day, reserve goalkeeper Nisti could only feel bored.
Nisti recalled that from the first day he arrived at Parma, he realized that the young team had a super goalkeeper. He even called his representative to blame: "What did they bring me here for? They have a guy here who looks like a Ferrari driver, while I just drive a normal car!".
At the age of 19, Buffon put both seniors Bucci and Nisti on the bench to become Parma's number one goalkeeper, as well as the best young goalkeeper in Europe at that time. His flying moves between the woodwork, his extraordinary reflexes and his speed helped Calcio fans affectionately give Buffon the nickname "Superman", like the way he celebrated with a Superman shirt after blocking a penalty. from "Alien" Ronaldo.
After six years playing for Parma with the most memorable title being the UEFA Cup (predecessor of today's Europa League) in the 1998-1999 season, he transferred to Juventus for 46 million USD. This is a transfer record for a goalkeeper, and existed for 16 years until Man City recruited Ederson in 2017 for 88 million USD. During those 16 years, countless transfer records were broken, but Buffon's record still stubbornly stood there as proof of his stature.
"When I first joined Juventus, everyone said they couldn't spend that much money on just one goalkeeper. But in the end, I've been with the team for 17 years and I believe I'm one of the most successful deals in history." "Juventus history. If you look back on everything, perhaps no one can deny this," Buffon said on FourFourTwo in 2019.
Number one of the 21st century
In the summer of 2001, Juventus earned 92 million USD from the record sale of Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid and rebuilt the squad with three quality contracts: Lilian Thuram, Pavel Nedved and Buffon. That was probably one of the most successful transfer periods in the history of the "Old Lady", when they brought in future Golden Ball Nedved, along with the best goalkeeper in the world for many years afterward. At Juventus, Buffon's "Superman" brand is further affirmed with world-class performances and high performance over a long period of time.
Buffon's excellence is demonstrated by the fact that he is not only considered a standard and an idol for world-class junior goalkeepers such as Iker Casillas, Manuel Neuer or Petr Cech... but is also placed on the table. weigh in with legend Lev Yashin in the debate about the best goalkeeper in history. As Marcotti said, Buffon is great in any aspect.
If you have to name an impressive save by Buffon, it's like asking Messi or Ronaldo to pick a favorite goal. It could be the block from close range that frustrated Russia on Italy's debut day in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. Or the unbelievable reaction to Filippo Inzaghi's electric header in the Champions final. League 2003, causing "Pippo" to hold his head in shock, not believing that anyone could stop his 10th chance. Three years later, he became Italy's hero with his excellent performance throughout the 2006 World Cup, culminating in his punching block to block Zidane's header in extra time, helping Italy extend the match to a penalty shootout. and win.
The image of champion Buffon smiling brightly, with the Berlin sky filled with fireworks behind him celebrating Italy's fourth world championship is the most brilliant glory of his career. During the entire tournament, Buffon only conceded twice: one from an own goal and the other from the penalty spot in the final. As the best goalkeeper in the world at that time, few people dared to believe that Buffon could stay at Juventus after the summer of 2006, when this team was stripped of its championship and had to play in Serie B.
It was the summer of goodbyes for Juventus, when a series of stars left the team: from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Viera to Inter, Emerson and Fabio Cannavaro moved to Real Madrid to Gianluca Zambrotta and Thuram landing at Barcelona. But Buffon and pillars like Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet and Mauro Camoranesi still chose to stay and bring Juventus up the rankings. That was also the time when future Juventus pillars such as Claudio Marchisio and Giorgio Chiellini began to gain a foothold in the team, with guidance from veteran seniors like Buffon.
The 2006-07 Serie B championship was even more meaningful than some of the other titles in Buffon's 28-trophy collection, as it showed his loyalty. At the end of his career, he can be proud of what he has achieved: 10 Serie A championships (not including the two titles stripped due to Calciopoli), the most club appearances for an Italian player. (975 times), most caps for Italy (176 matches), most consecutive matches with clean sheets in Serie A (10 matches), most minutes with clean sheets in Serie A (974 minutes), 13 times "Best goalkeeper in Serie A", and was also selected by IFFHS five times as "Best Goalkeeper in the World" and finished first in voting "Best Goalkeeper of the 21st Century".
Buffon's persistence is reflected in the fact that he received the Serie A "Goalkeeper of the Year" title in three different decades. That shows how well Buffon knows how to maintain his physical condition, performance and adapt to the tactical changes of the times. When teams faced Juventus in the second half of the 2010s, scoring was a problem.
Even if the attacking players can defeat the famous "BBC" trio of central defenders - including Bonucci - Barzagli - Chiellini -, they still have to face Buffon in goal. It is no coincidence that legendary coach Fabio Capello once declared: "I can create two squads with the stars I have coached, but Buffon is the only one present in both squads!".
After a 3-0 victory after two rounds of the 2016-2017 Champions League quarterfinals against Barca, coach Max Allegri proudly declared: "I have the feeling that Juventus can play against Barca all day without conceding a goal!". At the end of that season, Juventus reached the Champions League final and lost 1-4 to Real Madrid. That was the third time Buffon came close to a Champions League title but couldn't reach it, after defeats to AC Milan in 2003 and Barcelona in 2015. The two teams mentioned above and Real Madrid 2017 are both the strongest teams. history, making Buffon one of the biggest legends never to reach the top of Europe.
Buffon's illustrious career still has low points, such as his tears of pain when Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, or the fact that he directly caught the mistake that caused PSG to be eliminated from the Champions League by Man Utd despite is rated much higher. But if you look back at the whole journey, Buffon has always shown that he is a warrior who does not let obstacles discourage him.
At Euro 2000, Buffon would have started for Italy had he not been injured and forced to sit at home. His replacement, Francesco Toldo, played a tournament of a lifetime, making a major contribution to bringing Italy to the final with two successful 11m saves against the Netherlands in the semi-finals. After the tournament, Toldo became the number one goalkeeper of the Italian team. But with talent and determination, Buffon regained his place in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers from the fourth match and even received approval from Toldo and third goalkeeper Abbiati.
Buffon is like that, an outstanding talent that makes his seniors respect him, and juniors like Gianluigi Donaruma also have to wait until he retires from the team to have a place for themselves. The successes he achieved did not fall from the sky, but due to his talent and fighting power.
Not only fighting on the field, he is one of the rare football stars who has publicly disclosed his depression due to pressure and recounted his journey of fighting to overcome that disease. And in an era where loyalty is becoming more and more luxurious, spending almost the entire top career with Juventus and then returning to play for a starting team like Parma before retiring like Buffon is even more rare.
When talking about his decision to return to the Italian team as Team Leader - replacing his late predecessor Giangluca Vialli, Buffon said that he was still as hungry as the first day: "The kid walked through the Coverciano training ground for the first time 30 years ago for To this day, I still burn the dream and want to experience the dream with Italian fans. The Italy shirt has always been a part of my life. The national team is the number one priority and nothing will stop it. prevented me from returning home."
If Buffon performs his new job as well as he has shown throughout his playing career, tifosi can rest assured that the future of the team is placed in the trustworthy hands of a "Superman", even though he is not still flying.
