A great man was born on this day 33 years ago and his name is Gianluigi Buffon, or as he is known affectionately by fans as Gigi. Having spent 10 glorious years at Juve, he is more than a mere keeper, he is a leader who commands respect from everyone around him and he is a great keeper.
He started his career at Parma youth academy at the tender age of 15. A mere 4 year later he got his Serie A debut against the Mighty Milan, now an ordinary player may find this to be daunting but not Gigi, as the game ended in a 0-0 draw. In his second full season in Serie A, he had cemented his place as the first choice keeper for Parma and went on to make 200 club appearances in all competitions. In his fourth year at the club he won the UEFA cup ( now Europa) and he attracted the attention of Italian heavyweight, Juventus. They paid a record £32.6 m, which even today is still considered to be a record fee, especially for a goalkeeper. But like I said before, Buffon is not just a keeper, he was and still is very special and integral part of any team.
Buffon was immediately thrown into the starting eleven and made 45 appearances and won his first scuddetto in the black and white of Juventus. The following season he helped Juve to the final of the UEFA Champions League and lost out to fellow Italian club AC Milan in a penalty shoot out. Eventhough they didn't win it, his excellent performances were recognised when he won the UEFA Most Valuable Player award and Best Goalkeeper. He would continue to pile up on the accolades, but none were more valuable than the FiFa World Cup in 2006 where Buffon was phenomenal and went through the who competition without conceding a goal from open play ( except an own goal from Zaccardo).
He further cemented his name in the hearts of every Juve fan when he decide to stay with them when they were relegated to the second division. Buffon helped the club to third place on their return to the top division but after that Juve's season went from bad to worse, and last season was the worst as they finished the season in seventh and only had the Europa Cup to play for.
There were rumours that Buffon was going to leave Turin for a Premiership club, however this is totally untrue and the best keeper in the World has signed a contract keeping him at the club till 2013. Buffon has only just returned from a back operation that ruled him out for seven months. And throughout his long lay off Marco Storari has put in an admirable performance, but we all can honestly say that we all miss the imposing and extremely vocal man, that is Gianluigi Buffon.
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