One of the most decorated goalkeepers in the history of the sport has officially announced his retirement Wednesday.
45 year old Gianluigi Buffon took to social media to thank fans for their unwavering support over the course of his 28 year playing career.
The Italian goalie came up through the Parma youth academy, rising through the ranks throughout the early 90’s. In 1995 he broke through into the senior ranks, registering 168 appearances with Parma over a 6 year period. In 2001 however, he would elevate his status to world class, and joined Juventus for the beginning of a 17 year run.
Following 509 appearances with The Old Lady, Buffon would have a brief stint with French giants Paris Saint-Germain, making 17 appearances for the club in 2018-19. His stay in France wasn’t long, as he returned to Juventus for another two year run between 2019-2021.
Sensing that his career was beginning to wind down, the all-world goalkeeper returned to where it all began, finishing his career with 43 appearances for Parma to cap off an illustrious career.
With 975 club appearances, 176 international caps, 506 clean sheets, and more than 27 major awards on his resume, Buffon’s name will be etched amongst the all time greats to ever take the pitch.
The Italian international holds virtually every Juventus, and Serie A record for goaltending imaginable. And his work with the Italian national team is second to none.
He’s represented Italy at all youth levels from U16 to U23, was an Olympian in 1996, helped capture a World Cup title in 2006, and was captain for the national team for what seemed like aeons.
“The best goalkeeper I have ever faced was Buffon. When I was at Juventus, it was already difficult to get past Cannavaro and Thuram 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!” was how Zlatan Ibrahimovic described his time in Italy.
That sentiment was echoed by Ronaldinho who previously quipped “There have been some very good goalkeepers in my era, but Buffon is there for consistency. Most of the goalkeepers have had times when their form has not been so good, but Buffon has been at such a high level for so long.”
Indeed it will be a different era of Italian football without the presence of Buffon on the pitch. The national team has begun to turn over a new leaf, featuring a trio of young netminders, eager to emulate the legendary career of their predecessor.
Guglielmo Vicario, Alex Meret, and Gianluigi Donnarumma, the three keepers who have most recently donned their country’s colours will certainly have a huge task ahead of them. With such large shoes to fill however, it’s doubtful that there will ever be another goalkeeper who can truly rival the career of Buffon.
Photo: Doha Stadium Plus Qatar. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.