Gianluigi Buffon has chosen Azzurro as he begins a new career in football. After announcing his retirement as a player a few days ago, he will become the National Team Delegation Head, a position that has remained vacant since the passing of Gianluca Vialli in January.

Buffon, Italy’s record appearance holder (176), accepted FIGC President Gabriele Gravina’s offer and will thus be part of the Azzurri setup from September, when Italy will face North Macedonia (Saturday 9 September, National Arena Todor Proeski, Skopje, 20:45 CEST) and Ukraine (Tuesday 12 September, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, 20:45 CEST) in EURO 2024 qualifying.

“It’s a great day for the Italian National Team because Gigi has returned home,” said FIGC President Gabriele Gravina. “Buffon is an icon in the Italian game and a special person.

“His passion, charisma and professionalism will be instrumental in writing a new, exciting chapter in an extraordinary Azzurri love story. I’m personally very pleased because bringing him back to the Club Italia setup and involving him in our project had been an objective of mine for quite some time. I see the qualities of a high-profile director in him, and now he can begin the second half of his football career here with the FIGC. I hope he has the same amount of joy as he did during his playing days.”

“I’m returning to the National Team setup because that young lad who passed through the Coverciano gate for the first time 30 years ago still wants to dream and do so together with Italian fans,” said new National Team Delegation Head Gigi Buffon. “I’d already decided to say ‘yes’ from my first talks with President Gravina and then Mauro Vladovich, but we needed to go over a few technical aspects. The National Team comes first and nothing would have stopped me from coming home.”

“The Azzurri shirt has always been part of my life,” continued Buffon. “I wore it with pride and honoured it with commitment. It allowed me to experience unique emotions, and I cried when we won the World Cup and when we failed to qualify for it. I had the privilege of being the only goalkeeper in 113 years to wear Azzurro in addition to all the other goalkeeper kits, and it was a gesture that I greatly appreciated. From my early beginnings to the senior side, every call-up, every training session, every match and just everything was special. It’s because in those moments, you feel you are there to represent your nation and your people, and that immense responsibility always gave me the strength to never give up and to get back up after every fall.”

“I’ll immediately make myself available to Roberto Mancini and the group,” explained Buffon. “When it comes to the National Team, I’ve always thought that it’s not the medals on your chest that count but rather your commitment, sacrifice and the way you make yourself available to your teammates and staff members. I’ve always possessed these characteristics, and they’ll remain with me off the pitch, too. To now be in the role that was once occupied by Gigi Riva, an example to look up to as a man and player, is an honour, and he’ll be the first person I speak to today to hear some suggestions. Then, of course, I’ll talk to the Head Coach, who I’ll meet up with as soon as possible. He scored perhaps the best goal of his career against me (in Parma vs. Lazio on 17 January 1999, Ed.), but I’ve already forgiven him!

“Today, I’d like to mention three people who I believe would be happy with this decision: Gianluca, my predecessor in this role; Davide, who spent many days with me and Daniele in the National Team setup; Spazzolino, a great person who was one of the first to welcome me to Coverciano,” concluded Gigi.

NEXT STOP: COVERCIANO. On 4 September, Gigi Buffon will pass through the gate of the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano, which for him will be like returning home. The first time he entered the Home of the National Teams was during the 1992/93 season.

He was a young prospect destined to soar through the youth ranks, which is exactly what happened. It took two and a half years for him to become part of the U21 side (Cesare Maldini handed him his debut at the age of 17 years and eleven months), and he then wrote history with the senior team, taking part in five World Cups and winning the tournament in 2006. He almost became the first footballer to participate in six editions, but that fateful day on 13 November 2017 prevented him from doing so.

For the first time in 30 years, Buffon won’t have his football boots on. Instead, he’ll be wearing smart shoes befitting a Federal Director, the Delegation Head of the Azzurri, to be precise.

It’s an important role, because the Delegation Head is a point of reference for the players, especially the youngest in the squad. The person in this position is a guardian of identity, of the values and history of the National Team. They help support the Head Coach in managing the group off the pitch and are example to everyone. They are a representative of the team and the Federation - in the absence of the President - on official occasions. Aware of the mandate he’s been given by President Gabriele Gravina, Buffon will need to have a strong relationship with Roberto Mancini, the technical staff, the players and organisational staff members, as well as the media and Partners.

Not everything will be entirely new: he worked with Gigi Riva in the National Team for years, he led the team as captain, and the memory of Gianluca Vialli, who occupied the position until his death in January, lives on in the hearts and minds of the Azzurri world.

Buffon’s career in the senior team: 1997-2017

Gigi Buffon’s career in the senior National Team lasted 20 years, four months and 27 days. He made his debut on 27 October 1997 in Moscow (aged 19 years, nine months and one day) when he came on for the injured Pagliuca in the Azzurri’s World Cup qualifying playoff against Russia, while his final Italy match came against Argentina in a friendly in Manchester on 23 March 2018. 

Across these 20 years, he won 176 caps (he was called up 214 times), making him Italy’s record appearance holder. He started 172 of these matches, playing the full 90 minutes 155 times, and took to the pitch on four occasions as a substitute. 156 of these caps arrived when he was a Juventus player, with the remaining 20 coming while he was at Parma. 57 of these games were friendlies, 41 were European qualifying fixtures and 39 were World Cup qualifying matches. He played 17 times in the European Championship finals and on 14 occasions in the World Cup finals, with eight Confederations Cup appearances completing the tally.

In total, the Azzurri won 85, drew 56 and lost 35 games with Buffon between the sticks. The former shot-stopper played over 15,000 minutes (15,288’, an average of 86 minutes per game), with Spain being the side he faced the most (13 times: two wins, four draws and seven losses, two of which were penalty shootout defeats).

The caps he’ll undoubtedly remember: No.67, the final of the 2006 World Cup (he only conceded two goals throughout the tournament: a Zaccardo own goal and a Zidane penalty); No.100 against the Netherlands in Cesena in 2009; No.112 against Uruguay in Rome as the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Italian state was celebrated and he drew level with Dino Zoff; No.126 against Malta in 2013 when he equalled Paolo Maldini; No.136 in Turin in 2013 when he became the then joint appearance record holder alongside Fabio Cannavaro; No.150 against Bulgaria in Palermo in 2015.

In addition to being the most-capped Italy player of all time, he holds the Azzurri record in terms of games as captain (80) and penalties saved in a shootout (three, denying Forlan, Caceres and Gargano in Italy’s third place playoff against Uruguay in the 2013 Confederations Cup). In total, he kept out five spot-kicks out of 15 in normal time - Mifsud (Malta) and Mandzukic (Croatia) being the last two players he thwarted - while he never received a red card.

Fun fact: the first two goals he conceded were own goals: Fabio Cannavaro (on Gigi’s debut in Moscow in 1997) and Alessandro Costacurta (in a victory over Paraguay) were the unlucky players. He was first beaten by an opponent on 27 March 1999 in Denmark 1-2 Italy (Sand) on his fourth official appearance for his country.

When he made his debut, Buffon became the second youngest goalkeeper to play for the National Team (after Piero Campelli in 1912). When Donnarumma replaced Gigi in Italy vs. France in Bari, he broke the record (aged 17 years and 189 days).

Buffon is among the players who have been involved in the most World Cup finals tournaments: five (even if he didn’t play in 1998), alongside Antonio Carbajal and Andres Guardado (Mexico), Lothar Matthäus (Germany), Leo Messi (Argentina) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal). He made a total of 14 appearances at the tournament.

During his playing career, Buffon took to the pitch 1151 times (265 matches for Parma, 25 for PSG, 685 for Juventus and 176 for Italy).

 

ITALY YOUTH TEAMS: 1993-1997

 

If his time in the youth teams is included, Gigi’s story in the Italy shirt covers a period of 24 years, ten months and 26 days, with a total of 209 appearances (261 call-ups) to his name.

Considering that, in 1993, the U16s were the youngest side in the setup, Buffon was involved in all the Azzurri teams, from the U16s through to the U23s (who he played for at the Mediterranean Games) and, of course, the senior side.

His honours in the Italy shirt: 2006 World Cup, 1996 European Under-21 Championship, 1997 Mediterranean Games; Euro 2012 runner-up, 1995 European Under-18 Championship runner-up and 1993 European Under-16 Championship runner-up.