Gianluigi Buffon: The all-time great still seeking a storybook ending

Despite being littered with iconic moments and memories, it is strange to note that Gigi Buffon’s playing career began with a team photograph of just 10 men. Indeed, instead of joining his Parma team-mates for the obligatory pre-match shot back in 1995, the 17-year-old goalkeeper had instead sped away to warm up for his debut against the all-conquering AC Milan.

Clearly eager to take his place between the posts for the first time, it was a hint of the impatience he had displayed when told just three years earlier that he was good enough to be a Serie A regular by the age of 20. “Oh,” Buffon replied to his coach, “what am I supposed to do until then?”

Never one to wait around, he would turn in an unforgettable performance as he kept an unlikely clean sheet against a strike-force comprised of Zvonimir Boban, Roberto Baggio and George Weah. As he prepares to face Barcelona’s own star-studded forward line in this year’s Champions League final, the now-seasoned veteran will hope to repeat the feat and lead Juventus to an equally surprising result.

“I didn’t think I’d have to wait this long,” he mused following their victory over AS Monaco earlier in the competition, “but because the journey was very difficult, we can enjoy this result even more!” Not just offering a reflection on a remarkable season, which has already seen the Turin giants clinch a domestic double, Buffon was perhaps looking back at the twists his own career has taken since that unforgettable afternoon at San Siro some twenty years ago.

By 1997 he was a regular fixture in the Italian national team, and another four years later – having tasted victory in both the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup – Buffon was ready to challenge for honours at one of Europe’s top clubs. Seeing off competition from Barcelona and AS Roma, Juve would pay €52 million (£32.6m) to secure his signature, a figure that remains a club record and the highest sum ever for a goalkeeper.

Yet there is little doubt the Bianconeri received a solid return on their investment, winning four league titles in his first four seasons at the club. They would also reach the final of the Champions League in 2003, eventually losing a penalty shootout at Old Trafford despite heroics from Buffon, making a wonderful point-blank stop on a Pippo Inzaghi header and saving two Rossoneri spot-kicks.

The summer of 2006 will always be at the forefront of his memories, winning the Scudetto before heading to Germany with the Azzurri. As Marcello Lippi’s side were marching to glory, Italian football was engulfed by the Calciopoli scandal, with Juventus eventually relegated to Serie B for their role in it. While the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Fabio Cannavaro left, the demotion actually served to persuade Buffon to stay in Turin – he has since admitted he was “very close” to joining Milan until the final verdict was delivered.

They would win Serie B at a canter, despite a nine-point penalty, and Claudio Ranieri would lead them to a runners-up spot in their first campaign back in the top flight. The club would suffer from gross mismanagement however, with poor decisions in the transfer market hampering a string of coaches, and they slumped to a disappointing pair of seventh place finishes. Surrounded by mediocrity while battling with both depression and injury, Buffon’s own reputation also dipped, but the end of the 2010-11 season would spark a swift reversal of fortune for all concerned.

The club moved to the brand new Juventus Stadium and simultaneously appointed former skipper Antonio Conte as coach, going on to enjoy an undefeated season, a record points total and four successive league titles. Max Allegri has taken over on the sidelines, but the man who inherited the captain’s armband from Alessandro Del Piero remains very much a protagonist. Indeed, as the likes of Iker Casillas and Petr Cech have clearly begun to wane, Buffon seems to be defying Father Time himself, still pulling off miraculous saves while offering a calm assurance to the team ahead of him.

Last month, his lack of patience was turned on those who criticise his Spanish counterpart, berating Real Madrid fans and media for the way they have treated Casillas. “This lad has been wearing the Real Madrid jersey for 20 years,” Buffon told reporters as Juventus overcame Los Blancos to reach the final of the Champions League once again. “He certainly received a lot from this club, but he also gave them a great deal too. Certain icons do not deserve this kind of treatment.”

On the field however, their performances in that semi-final only served to highlight the gulf in quality that now exists between the two goalkeepers, Casillas making a number of errors, while Buffon turned in a flawless display. His efforts – including a pair of incredible saves from Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema – underlined his importance to a team who have certainly been favoured by Lady Luck as they have progressed through UEFA’s elite competition.

Buffon will hope to deliver what would be only the club’s third European Cup victory and undoubtedly has fond memories of Germany’s Olympiastadion, lifting the World Cup there alongside current team-mates Andrea Pirlo and Andrea Barzagli. The parallels to that Azzurri triumph have added an air of destiny to his journey with the Old Lady, something he was clearly aware of as he took to Twitter shortly after the Bianconeri secured their place in the final.

‘Da Berlino alla B.....dalla B a Berlino!!!!! questa è la vita!!’ he declared. “From Berlin to Serie B and back again. That’s life!” That is indeed the life of Juventus captain Gigi Buffon, and a picture of him holding the Champions League trophy aloft would perhaps be the perfect storybook ending.