Gianluigi Buffon came through Parma’s youth ranks and made his Serie A debut at the young age of 17 against AC Milan, and he was immediately among the best performers that day. While at the Ducali, he won the UEFA Cup, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa italiana. His performances convinced Juventus to invest heavily in him, so much so that the deal to bring him to the club is still the most money that has been paid to sign an Italian player. He initially remained in Turin for 15 years, even when the team were relegated to Serie B. He then had a short spell at French side Paris Saint-Germain, winning Ligue 1 in his one and only season there in 2018/19. In the summer of 2019, he couldn’t resist the urge to return to the Bianconeri, going on to surpass Paolo Maldini in the all-time Serie A appearance ranking. In the summer of 2021, he went back to where it all began, signing for Parma. 

At international level, he was immediately successful, winning the Under-21 European Championship in 1996. In October 1997, he made his National Team debut at the age of just 19, replacing the injured Gianluca Pagliuca in the World Cup playoff fixture against Russia. With Italy having managed to qualify for the 1998 tournament, he was named in the squad as the third-choice goalkeeper. After becoming a starter under Dino Zoff, Buffon took part in the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship after missing out on Euro 2000 due to injury. The pinnacle of his career came in 2006 when he won the World Cup in Germany, a year which also saw him finish second in the Ballon d'Or rankings behind Fabio Cannavaro. Under Cesare Prandelli, he became Italy’s captain, with the team going on to finish runners-up to Spain in the 2012 European Championship. In October 2013, he achieved yet another prestigious feat as he became the most-capped player in the history of the Italian National Team. With Conte at the helm, he broke the 150-game barrier.

Gigi is one of just three footballers to have taken part in five World Cups. He has 176 Azzurri appearances to his name.