Gianluigi Buffon WORLD CUP STAR

Buffoon is considered by his fans and many experts to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. Tall and slimly built, Buffon was perhaps born to be a goalkeeper. His movements are very natural and thus the most difficult saves look easy, whether a long ranger or a shot from point-blank range. There are very few weaknesses in his game and few strikers have been able to beat him in the post. He has an uncanny ability to dismiss what has happened and to get on with the game with full concentration..

Buffon made his Serie A debut at the age of just 17 for Parma in a 0-0 home draw against Milan on 19 November 1995. In his fourth season with the club, he won the UEFA Cup. He moved from Parma to Juventus in 2001, for €51.5 million, which is a world record for a goalkeeper.

He was the recipient of; he received the UEFA Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper awards in 2003. In March 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. In August 2005 Buffon dislocated his shoulder and a surgery became necessary. The injury occured during the annual Luigi Berlusconi Trophy match against Milan when Buffon collided with Milan midfielder Kaká while chasing a loose ball. He returned to active football in November, but played only once as another injury kept him out until January. On recovering, he lead Juventus to their second consecutive Scudetto and his fourth with the club.

In 2008–09, Buffon was again on the bench because of several injuries, including a bad groin strain and a pulled muscle apart from back problems. Buffon started the 2009–10 season with outstanding performances against strong sides such as Roma, Lazio, Livorno, Bulgaria, and Georgia.
Buffon came into the Italian team  for the first time at the age of nineteen, in a qualifier for 1998 FIFA World Cup play-off against Russia ,as an injury replacement for Gianluca Pagliuca. Even though he was included in the 1998 World Cup squad, he did not get a chance to display his abilities. He was a member of the Italy squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the first choice goalkeeper at the Euro 2000, but broke his hand in a friendly match against Norway just eight days before the tournament. Buffon was a member of the Italian squad for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.
During the 2006 World Cup finals, Buffon was in great form as he kept five clean sheets and kept the opposition at bay for 453-minutes. The only goals conceded were an own goal from teammate Cristian Zaccardo against the United States, and a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the final against France, which ended 1-1 in extra time. In the penalty shootout, Buffon was the hero and Italy won the cup.  Buffon received the Yashin Award for his performance in the competition.