Gianluigi Buffon
Goalkeeper · Italy · Born 28 January 1978, Carrara, Tuscany
Career Statistics by Club
Gianluigi Buffon spent the majority of his career at Juventus, making him the club's all-time appearance holder. The table below covers senior competitive appearances across league, cup, and European competition.
| Club | Season(s) | Country | Apps | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parma | 1995–2001 | Italy | 220 | — |
| Juventus | 2001–2018 | Italy | 656 | 269 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2018–2019 | France | 25 | — |
| Juventus | 2019–2021 | Italy | 52 | — |
| Parma | 2021–2023 | Italy | 28 | — |
| Total (club) | 981+ | — | ||
International Career — Italy
Buffon holds the record for the most international appearances by an Italian player with 176 caps. He represented Italy across six major tournaments, including the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany where Italy won the title with Buffon conceding just two goals — both own goals — throughout the tournament.
| Tournament | Year | Apps | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup | 1998 | 2 | Quarter-final |
| UEFA Euro 2000 | 2000 | 6 | Runners-up |
| FIFA World Cup | 2002 | 4 | Round of 16 |
| UEFA Euro 2004 | 2004 | 4 | Group stage |
| FIFA World Cup | 2006 | 7 | Winner |
| UEFA Euro 2008 | 2008 | 4 | Quarter-final |
| FIFA World Cup | 2010 | 3 | Group stage |
| UEFA Euro 2012 | 2012 | 5 | Runners-up |
| FIFA World Cup | 2014 | 3 | Group stage |
| UEFA Euro 2016 | 2016 | 5 | Quarter-final |
Major Honours
- FIFA World Cup: 2006 (Italy) — Golden Glove award
- Serie A: 2002, 2003 (stripped), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 (Juventus) — 10 titles
- Coppa Italia: 2003 (stripped), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 (Juventus)
- UEFA Champions League finalist: 2003, 2015, 2017
- UEFA Cup: 1998–99 (Parma)
- Coppa Italia: 1999–2002 (Parma)
- Ligue 1: 2018–19 (Paris Saint-Germain)
- IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: 2003, 2004, 2006
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2003
Career Overview
Gianluigi Buffon made his professional debut for Parma in Serie A on 19 November 1995 at the age of 17, replacing the injured Luca Bucci during a match against Milan. He established himself as first-choice at Parma and won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia before Juventus signed him in July 2001 for what was then a world-record fee for a goalkeeper — reported at around £32.6 million.
At Juventus, Buffon became one of the defining figures of Italian football. He won nine Serie A titles with the club (two were subsequently stripped following the Calciopoli scandal), appeared in three UEFA Champions League finals, and accumulated 656 competitive appearances over two separate spells. His consistency across nearly two decades at the highest level placed him among the most decorated goalkeepers in the history of the game.
Buffon's international record stands apart in Italian football. His 176 caps surpassed the previous record held by Fabio Cannavaro, and he was the starting goalkeeper for Italy from 1997 until his retirement from international football in 2018. The 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany is widely considered his finest tournament performance: Italy conceded only two goals in seven matches — both were own goals — and Buffon was awarded the Golden Glove as the tournament's best goalkeeper.
After leaving Juventus in 2018 he spent a season at Paris Saint-Germain before returning to Turin in 2019. He had a further spell at Parma from 2021, finally retiring from professional football in 2023 at the age of 45.