Gianluigi Buffon · Italy
Photo : CC BY 4.0 — MichaelEmilio (Wikimedia Commons)
Buffon played professional football for twenty-eight years, from a Parma debut at seventeen in 1995 to a final season at Parma again in 2023. He won the World Cup in 2006 conceding two goals in seven matches — one an own goal, one a penalty — and no goal from open play until the final.
He followed Juventus into Serie B after Calciopoli in 2006 rather than leaving for a bigger club, which is the decision Italian football remembers him for as much as the saves. He came back up with them and won nine more league titles.
He holds the Serie A record for appearances and for minutes without conceding, and he won 176 caps for Italy across five World Cups. The Champions League is the one absence: three finals, three defeats, the last in 2017 at thirty-nine.
Club career
| Years | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–2001 | Parma | 168 | |
| 2001–2018 | Juventus | 509 | |
| 2018–2019 | Paris Saint-Germain | 17 | |
| 2019–2021 | Juventus | 17 | |
| 2021–2023 | Parma | 43 | |
| Total | 754 | 0 |
International career
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–2018 | Italy | 176 |
Honours
Dashed = runner-up.
Related legends
Career figures compiled from public records. Competitive senior appearances only.