When we talk about the longer age of footballers, we consider the age of 40 as a notable point that is rarely passed even by goalkeepers. However, Gianluigi Buffon laughs at such talks – he is 44 and continues playing at the professional level. The playing legend was born in 1978, in Carrara, on January 28. He joined the youth academy of Parma being already 13, which looks like quite a late ignition. However, he fastly became a member of the main team (in 1995) and was even called as part of the Italian national team for the World Cup 1998.
In the next year, Gianluigi played one of his best seasons, winning UEFA Cup, Italian Cup, and Supercup, playing for Parma. His talent was noted, so Juventus agreed to set a long-time record for goalkeeper transfer in 2001 – the Old Lady paid incredible 52 million euros for Buffon. None of the accurate football predictions for free could predict that the next break will be only in 2018, when Liverpool signed Alisson, paying 10 million euros more for the keeper. However, Juventus was absolutely right in getting the young talent, who served as their goalie for 17 consecutive years.
Buffon is often considered one of the best goalkeepers in the history of football. Thus, he was named UEFA’s best player in club competitions in 2003, when the Old Lady made it to the finals of the Champions League but lost to Milan. He was also named multiple times in the symbolic squads of the top events he participated in – UCL, Serie A, Copa Italia, and even the World Cup. The participation and victory of the WC 2006 skyrocketed him to the runner-up position in Ballon d’Or voting that year. Nonetheless, he left Juventus in 2018 and joined PSG to win a few local trophies with a French club. But even being 41, he still returned to Juve in 2019 until rejoining with Parma in 2021, which now plays in Serie B. Interestingly, Gianluigi still has a stable place in the starting squad, being 44.
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With such a long football life, Buffon is among the leaders in terms of matches played at the professional level. Thus, he played 956 games at the club level, conceding 801 and having 424 clean sheets. He also added 176 games for the Italian national team, being the long-standing captain of the team, which looked easy for him like the Melbet register in Bangladesh procedure. He also claims joint-first place (with Casillas and Neuer) as IFFHS’s most valuable keeper of the season, winning this prize five times.
It’s not surprising that during such a long career, Buffon had few long-lasting relations. Thus, his first wife was Alena Seredova, whom he met in 2005 and marrier in 2011. The couple born two sons (in 2007 and 2009) but finished their relations in 2014. In a year, Gianluigi was linked to Ilaria D’Amico. In 2016, they announced the birth of a son while married the next year. The net worth of the Italian football legend is about $20 and is now replenished mostly from endorsements but not salary.
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Online outlets are probably tired of creating the titles for Buffon’s possible last year in football instead of explaining how to register in India at Betwinner. The latest news and rumors are totally about his potential career end, while Gianluigi still looks happy on the pitch and wants to continue playing.
