Gianluigi Buffon, an Italian legendary goalkeeper is set to retire from professional football after 28 years of distinguished football career.
Italian transfer expert and journalist Fabrizio Romano announced on his Twitter page on Tuesday, 1st of August, 2023, that the former PSG shot-stopper is expected to make the retirement official in the coming days.
Gianluigi Buffon’s football career breakdown
Gianluigi Buffon began his professional career in 1995 with Parma of the Italian Serie A before being transferred to Juventus for 52 million euros in 2001. At the time, this was the highest transfer fee ever paid for a goalkeeper.
The 45-year-old Italian goalkeeper won the Serie A title in his first two seasons with Juventus, cementing his status as one of the best players in the world in his position.
In his first spell with Juventus, Buffon set a new record by winning nine Serie A championships, four Coppa Italia wins, and five Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
He was the first goalkeeper in Serie A history to be named the league’s Footballer of the Year, and he set a record by winning the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award a record twelve times.
Since Buffon became Italy’s captain in 2010, he has made the most appearances of any Italian goalkeeper. With 176 international matches under his belt, he is the all-time leader in international caps for goalkeepers and the third-most-capped player in Europe.
Buffon made his debut for Italy in 1997 and has since appeared in five FIFA World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014).
Buffon has won a total of 30 titles throughout his career, including 10 Serie A championships, 1 FIFA World Cup (in 2016), and 1 Ligue 1 championship.
In addition to Buffon, Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Marquez, Lothar Matthaus, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, are the only six players that have appeared in five different World Cups.
After breaking numerous records in Serie A, for Juventus, Italy, and PSG. Gigi Buffon is expected to announce his retirement even though his Parma contract still run until June 2024.
The goalkeeper has made 657 appearances in Serie A, more than any other player in the league’s history.
He played 974 minutes without losing a game and kept 10 straight clean sheets in Serie A, both of which are still records.
Buffon kept 285 clean sheets throughout his time in Serie A when clean sheets were worth three points.
At the age of 43 years, 3 months, and 14 days, he made history by stopping a penalty kick in Serie A.
With 526 total league appearances for Juventus, Buffon is the all-time leader in that category.
This number includes the 2006–07 season in Serie B when he stayed with the team despite being demoted due to the Calciopoli scandal.
Both the number of Serie A games played (489) and the number of Champions League games played (117) by a goalkeeper are records held by Gianluigi Buffon.
He set a new record by appearing in 61,411 minutes of football for the Bianconeri across all competitions.
As a player, Buffon shares the record with Roberto Mancini for most Supercoppa Italiana victories (seven), and he also has the most Coppa Italia victories (six).
Buffon spent the 2018/2019 season with Paris Saint Germain where he played 27 games for the French powerhouse and went back to Juventus the following season.
What’s next for Gianluigi Buffon?
As quoted by Fabrizio Romano, the legendary goalkeeper will officially announce his retirement in the coming days.
