The Champions League is once again upon us. The competition has created many fantastic memories for football fans throughout its history. The world's best players thrive on the big stage as they aim to help their side win the biggest club competition in the world. There have been many footballing legends to play in the Champions League, none more so than Gigi Buffon. The Italian goalkeeper has won everything there is to win in football bar the one competition he craves the most, the Champions League.
Buffon has made over 650 appearances for Juventus to date. He joined the club in 2001 from Italian side Parma for a fee of £47 million. Gigi was Juve's number one shot stopper for 17 years which made him a legend at the club. He made the decision to leave Il Bianconeri for PSG in 2018. One year later, in 2019, Buffon returned home to Juventus, where he still plays to date.
Buffon's Top 10 saves - https://youtu.be/NEmbvtAz5Sg
The word legend has been tagged on many players throughout the history of football. Buffon, a World Cup winner, ticks all the boxes when listing the all time great goalkeepers. To date, the 42 year old has won 1 World Cup, 10 Serie A titles, 5 Italian Cups, 6 Italian Super Cups, 1 Ligue 1, 1 French Super Cup and 1 UEFA Cup in his senior career. The veteran is still battling it out for number one spot at Juventus with Polish international Wojciech Szczesny. His most recent appearance for his club was against Crotone in the Serie A last weekend.
Buffon has appeared in three Champions League finals so far in his career, unfortunately losing all of them (2003, 2015, 2017).
The ultimate dream for Gigi is to win the Champions League for both his club and himself. Not only is he a leader on the pitch but he leads by example off it. Most will agree that Buffon is a true professional and even at 42 he still aims to help his side whenever he is called upon.
"When you're on the field, you've got to deliver. It doesn't matter what you potentially could deliver or what you might be able to deliver in the future - you've got to deliver it there and then" - Gianluigi Buffon.
The Italian has talked in the past about the harder times he has went through in his professional career on and off the pitch. Below is an interview of Buffon talking about the tough times he endured during his life and how he bounced back. A good listen for any football fan.
The 12 time Serie A goalkeeper of the year is one player that deserves to win a Champions League, not only because of his professionalism but also his undoubted talents in goal. Time suggests that Buffon wont get too many more chances at his dream trophy, his current contract will see him stay at the club until he is 44. With Cristiano Ronaldo still in their ranks, Juventus won‘t be too far away from the Champions League come the end of the season. Buffon, a man that deserves a Champions League medal.
"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I think that's normal for someone who wants to grow and develop. You will have to overcome plenty of obstacles, and it is normal that you should stumble sometimes"
"The day I quit, I want people to be sad about it"
- Gianluigi Buffon
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