Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon equals Paolo Maldini’s Serie A appearance record with his 647th top-flight game against Sampdoria on Wednesday.
However, Wojciech Szczesny got ruled-out of the line-up due to injury and gave the former Italy number one his mark at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Meanwhile, a header from Christiano Ronaldo put Juve ahead after Gianluca Caprari’s 30th-minute equalizer for Sampdoria to assure 2-1 victory. The winner from the Portuguese helps Mauricio Sarri to reach his century of victories in Serie A.
Buffon’s 479th game for Bianconeri put Alessandro Del Piero behind having 478 Serie A appearances. He began his career at Parma in 1995 where his debut shutdown Milan in a 0-0 draw.
The 41-year-old was an Italy team-mate of former and retired Milan defender Maldini. The defender in 2009 at the age of 40 withdrew but played for many years for club and country with Del Piero.
The number one joined Juve in 2001 in a £32.6million deal, becoming the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.
He spent 17 years in his first term with the Turin giants. And helping Juventus earn seven successive Scudetti before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2018.
After a year in France, Buffon got back to Juventus in July. But he has run with Szczesny for the starting role in Maurizio Sarri’s team.
Meanwhile, the Italian Sarri secures his 100th Serie A win as a coach in just his 169th match. No coach has caught that record in a few games in Italy’s top flight so far this century.
Though, Carlo Ancelotti brought up his century of triumphs in his 185th games. Still, it has been a fantastic night for the Old Lady as they rise to top the league table again.
