Gianluigi Buffon Juventus

Juventus goalkeeper and Italian international Gianluigi Buffon (31) has said in an interview with Italian televison channel Sky that when he left Parma in 2001, he was close to joining Barcelona:

"I chose Juve because my agent, Silvano Martina, and my father advised me to do that. Back then, I had to choose between Roma, Barcelona and Juve.

At the start my friendship with Totti and Vito Scala [Roma physical coach] made me prefer Roma, where Capello had just arrived and he seemed to start an era of an invincible team. I remember that Silvano and my father went there to talk with president Sensi but Roma took a step back and in the end they preferred to sign Pellizzoli, whom they could get for a lower transfer fee but who was at that time one of the most promising goalkeepers.

With Barcelona we had serious negotiations but right when Silvano Martina was going to Spain to close the deal, Moggi [Juventus general director at the time] called him and the Agnelli family got involved. I had a great desire to win an Italian league and my father told me that Juve hadn't won the title for five years but that they would again win it in the next two years. In the end I followed his advice and it has been a good choice."

Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon Saves

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was a Serie A regular at 18, an international at 20 and could one day be remembered alongside such greats as Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks.

The late Juventus president Gianni Agnelli forked out 40 million euros to take the then 23-year-old to Turin in July 2001 and credited Buffon's performances as key to their championship trophy in his first season.

His celebrated reflexes helped Juve to a second consecutive title a year later, but despite two penalty shoot-out saves in the Champions League final, he was unable to prevent AC Milan winning Europe's most prestigious prize in 2003.

He is a colourful and outspoken man who claims to have taken to goalkeeping due to his distaste for running.

Gianluigi Buffon Saves
Gianluigi Buffon Saves
Gianluigi Buffon Saves
Gianluigi Buffon Saves
Gianluigi Buffon Saves
Gianluigi Buffon Saves
Gianluigi Buffon Saves

Gianluigi Buffon

Over the next week and a half, here at the Juventus Offside we will be profiling Juventini, their characteristics, and what role they play for their national team. It might not be the most useful for regular readers or general Juventus fans, but I think we Juventini are most apt, perhaps, to describe the quality of these players as we watch them week-in, week-out. The Juventus players going to South Africa are as follows: For Italy, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio, Fabio Cannavaro, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Amauri, and Mauro Camoranesi. (Pending the last cut) For Uruguay, Martin Caceres. For Brazil, Felipe Melo. For Denmark, Christian Poulsen. After the jump, the first, for Mr. Gianluigi Buffon.

Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon