Buffon extends his legend

When Youssoufa Moukoko came into the world on November 20, 2004, Gianluigi Buffon added 41 Champions League matches. Some with Parma and the vast majority with Juventus. Almost the same day of the birth of the Cameroonian-German prodigy, but nine years earlier (November 19, 1995), Buffon made his official debut in the ranks of Parma. Now that the young promise of Borussia Dortmund has become the youngest debutant in the Champions League you have to look back and remember that Buffon is the second oldest to wear shorts in the Champions League.

The Italian goalkeeper returned one more season to the top club competition. He started in Juventus' victory against Barcelona (0-3) last Tuesday and accumulate one more campaign playing at least one game in the Champions League. He has not missed the appointment since the 2012-2013 season. The Carrara goalkeeper is 42 years, 10 months and 10 days the second oldest in the Champions League. Only his compatriot and also goalkeeper are ahead Marco Ballota, who came to play at the age of 43, 8 months and 8 days. It seems difficult for Buffon to break the record because for this he has to continue playing one more season in the ranks of Vecchia Signora and at the moment he only has a contract until June 30, 2021. This is his 26th season at the highest level. A soccer legend.

The Champions, his great dream

Buffon has little to show at this point but he is still in the first line of fire. The transalpine goalkeeper has 124 Champions League matches, far from the 177 of Iker Casillas or the 174 of his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Although no one doubts that he is one of the greatest goalkeepers. In Champions he has played matches in four different decades: 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020. Quite a record. And he has known how to adapt like a chameleon to different football stages.

The obsession to be champion of the Champions encourages him to fight. Although it is no longer indisputable, it remains at a good level. Faced with an attack like that of Barcelona, ​​he managed to leave the goal unbeaten once again. Since Buffon has managed to do it in each of the last four decades. Only Iker Casillas (ex Real Madrid and Porto) adds more unbeaten Champions League than Buffon. The Spanish goalkeeper kept a clean sheet 57 times, to 52 for the Italian, after the last achieved at the Camp Nou. It is what geniuses like Buffon have that make the truly difficult habitual.