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Extended Clip - Goodbye Gianluigi Buffon: The GREATEST Goalkeeper Of All Time
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After announcing he's hanging up his gloves, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese pay tribute to the glorious career of Gianluigi Buffon arguing the case for why he is the greatest goalkeeper of all time.
This is an extended clip from this weeks free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
Buffon's Retirement Announcement
00:00:05
Speaker
Let's start off with Gigi Buffon, who has now announced his retirement at the grand old age of 45 after an incredible 28 year professional career.
Memorable Debut Against Milan
00:00:20
Speaker
So Nima, how do you possibly sum up the career of Gigi Buffon?
00:00:27
Speaker
It's very difficult to sum it up because, I mean, my very, very first memory of him is watching that his debut against Milan at the Ennio Tardini for Parma when he was 17 years old against Milan with Veya Baggio. And he was the man of the match, a goalless draw, during the era when the Serie A was the greatest, the best league in the world, probably, you know, during an era where every world class player played in Italy.
00:00:57
Speaker
uh you know the the era that i don't think it's possible to ever be replicated again um but it was that game i remember i was like who is this 17 year old because he it wasn't just that he did he he you know kept a clean sheet it was a fantastic saves the way he
Rise to Legend at Juventus
00:01:17
Speaker
communicated with the defense, and that defense was pretty damn good itself. Just go and look at who started there. It was truly, truly, you know, everyone was like, wow, what did we do? We just witnessed something historic here. And we did. That was the beginning, because after that, of course, we
00:01:36
Speaker
where he became Gigi Buffon a few years later. And of course, when Parma's financial woes hit them, he went to Uvan and became a club legend there. And he really does have some incredible records to his name, doesn't he?
00:01:51
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, his records, the list of records, there's too many to sum up on this part, but most Serie A appearances, most career club appearances by an Italian, most Scudetti one, the record for minutes without conceding, going almost a thousand minutes of football in Serie A.
Buffon's Record-breaking Career
00:02:14
Speaker
10 consecutive clean sheets, the most clean sheets in the history of Serie A, the oldest player to win the Scudetto, the oldest player to play for Juventus, the second oldest player to ever play in Serie A, the oldest goalkeeper to save a penalty, the most Serie A appearances and the most Champions League appearances for Juventus. The joint most World Cups played in five and it would have been
00:02:40
Speaker
would have been six if it hadn't been for the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. He would have gone to a record six. No one's ever done that and maybe never will. So it's unbelievable. And I think the longevity of Befond's career is, and for how long he played at a world class level is what makes him, what stands him apart from all the other
00:03:07
Speaker
Legendary goalkeepers that they've been in the past and it's what makes him the goats of goalkeepers i mean this is someone like you said. Debuted at the age of seventeen in nineteen ninety five you pay for twenty eight years but for most of that time for a good.
00:03:23
Speaker
quarter of a century, he was playing at the highest level and at a world-class level for most of that time. And he was already world-class and playing for Italy as a teenager. And over 20 years later, at the age of 39, he was named the best goalkeeper in the world at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. So no goalkeeper in history comes close to that longevity. And that longevity at the very, very top, he was like,
Skills and Comparisons with Other Goalkeepers
00:03:50
Speaker
I think the Paolo Maldini of goalkeepers when you put it, when you look at it that way. So, you know, it is the reason why I think he's the greatest of all time is because there are goalkeepers who have won more than him. I mean, what's his name? His name eludes me. Real Madrid goalkeeper Cassias. He's he's won the Euros twice, you know, before never won the Euros. He's won more Champions Leagues, you know, before has never won the Champions League.
00:04:20
Speaker
But the longevity is what does it for me, the fact that he was
00:04:26
Speaker
you know, he was named the best goalkeeper in the world at the age of 39. He was unbelievable for such a long, long period of time. Let's remember Casillas was fantastic at a young age, but he quickly fell off in his 30s. I mean, he was finished by 32, 33. Completely finished. Completely finished. Buffon kept it going, like you said, for 28 years. And for 25 of those, 24 of those, he was the best goalkeeper in
Buffon's Leadership Evolution
00:04:56
Speaker
the world.
00:04:56
Speaker
And that's truly, truly remarkable.
00:05:01
Speaker
And that is why I think for me that he is the greatest, the longevity. And when you look at his qualities as well, when you look at his qualities, I mean, he was the complete goalkeeper, he had everything. He was an incredible shot stopper. He was perfect in the air, you know, from crosses. I don't think there's ever been anyone that's more, was as safe as him as on crosses, the way that he commanded the box. No one's commanded the box, organised the box, organised his defence.
00:05:29
Speaker
positioning, perfect position, perfect position, he went to come out how to position himself on angles so that when you know he's going at the near post, you know, getting in the right position so you don't leave too much of your near post open, you don't leave too much of your far post open, narrowing the angle when you come up for a one on one exactly where to be positioning perfect, great communicator from a young age, great leader, great
00:05:54
Speaker
example for the others, but also someone that had incredible confidence. We saw that especially when he was young. He was a very, very confident person, confident as a teenager. He changed slightly, became more, you know, a different type of leader, an example to follow when he got older, brave,
Iconic Saves and Matches
00:06:10
Speaker
you know the only weakness i would say for a while were probably penalties he wasn't the best at but he even got greater than later on in his career as well and if you look at actually look at the number of the record of penalties saved he's actually right up there at the top as well and so i mean he was the complete goalkeeper and there's just so many
00:06:31
Speaker
so many special memories you know i mean that that debut in 95 i remember watching it as well the saves from badjo and weyer and bob and and the way he used to through himself but then i also remember the debut for italy uh against russia in 1997 it was a world cup playoff
00:06:50
Speaker
against Russia. Two legged playoff. They were playing in Moscow in the first leg in the snow with an orange ball. The snow was three inches deep. There was dick. There was no, couldn't see any green on the field.
00:07:02
Speaker
Awful, freezing, sub-zero temperatures. Paluka gets injured early on in the game, like 10 minutes into the game. On comes Buffon, 19 years old. And honestly, you know, everybody's thinking the same thing. Everyone's thinking Italy going out into him, not qualifying for the World Cup. You know, you go into Russia in the winter, the deep winter, in those temperatures, with those conditions, with a rookie goalkeeper, Buffon comes in and he's absolutely magnificent in that game.
00:07:32
Speaker
And in Italy, they draw 1-1 and they end up winning the return and they go to the World Cup. I mean, I remember that. I mean, so many amazing. The safe room in Zaghi in the 2003 Champions League final, I think, for me, that's his most memorable one. It obviously didn't result in a victory, but I remember in Zaghi's
00:07:53
Speaker
expression when he took the header. I think it was a header, wasn't it? The cross come in, he put it towards the near post and he thinks he scored and then his reaction, exactly his reaction, like kind of like everybody else, like how did he save that? You couldn't believe that Bifon had made that save
Challenges and Setbacks in Buffon's Career
00:08:11
Speaker
and then of course the 2006 World Cup, you know,
00:08:15
Speaker
where he was faultless because he did two goals all tournament and that was an own goal with the most weird old goal I think I've ever seen and of course that penalty that was barely over the line.
00:08:29
Speaker
Yeah, from Zidane in the final. He basically didn't concede a goal. He wasn't really beaten in the whole tournament. No, the World Cup final, the Zidane header to me is just insane what he does there. And in the semi-finals as well, I think it's Schneider, who's a fantastic shot.
00:08:50
Speaker
Yeah, and Podolsky. Podolsky, yeah. He is. Now, for me, the longevity, and above all, for me, a good goalkeeper, traditionally, because I think their role is changing now. It's going through a metamorphosis of what the new goalkeepers are going to be, and I think Mike Mignon is the perfect embodiment of that.
00:09:12
Speaker
But regardless, for me, it's this man's ability to the rebounds, the rebound that he never gave any rebounds and the ones that he did were.
00:09:22
Speaker
were always to the side. It was never straight out. He didn't suffer from Handanovic syndrome, as I call it. Great save, straight out. Always. Always, always. That's why I think what will stop Vicario from becoming a really good goalkeeper, too. The rebounds are always straight out. That's his understanding of the game, isn't it? Like, he always, you know...
00:09:43
Speaker
he learned and knew that you know that was part of being a goalkeeper is you know limiting the chances to the opposition I mean it's so important and I think that's why I think Vicario will never be a world-class top-class goalkeeper I think he'll be a great great goalkeeper yeah but I know be world-class because the rebounds are too straight out and we before you never had that
00:10:03
Speaker
And also Bafon, all goalkeepers make mistakes, but Bafon certainly made less mistakes than anyone else. Again, you look at Donnarumma, who obviously is phenomenal in what he does good, but Donnarumma is not as complete goalkeeper as Bafon, not even close. He's not as good anywhere close as good on crosses. He makes more mistakes than him.
00:10:29
Speaker
And, you know, so, I mean, there's been legendary goalkeepers in the past. Yashin, Banks, Sepp Meyer, Dino Zoff, of course, Schmeichel, Manuel Neuer, Cassilla, so you mentioned before, you know, these are all great goalkeepers. But when you add everything together, including the longevity. I think Zoff is the only one that comes close because he won everything. And Zoff is the only one, I think, that comes close.
00:10:54
Speaker
to be honest. But it was a different kind of football then, you know, it was difficult to compare errors. But I think for me, Zof and Buffon are head and shoulders above everyone else. The only regrets, of course, is that he never won that. I mean, the Euros as well, not winning the Euros, and he went close. He went close.
00:11:11
Speaker
But he sounded lucky with Italy as well, wasn't he? I mean, the injuries that prevented him from being the starting goalkeepers in
New Role with Italy's National Teams
00:11:18
Speaker
France 98 and Euro 2008. Well, he wouldn't have been the starter in France 98. He wasn't injured in France 98, but he was injured for 2010. He was injured. And then obviously 2018, he didn't qualify. But also in 2002, they got cheated in 2002, World Cup by UEFA and the referee. FIFA, not UEFA.
00:11:41
Speaker
Sorry, FIFA. Yeah, well, same thing.
00:11:46
Speaker
Different mask. Same face, different mask. Meet the boss, same as the old boss. And then in 2014, it didn't have a good team. But I think the big regret is obviously the Champions League. That is a big regret. Three finals. And that was the one that he really wanted. And I think that's the one that most neutrals wanted for Buffon himself. He didn't manage that. But that doesn't stop him becoming
00:12:15
Speaker
becoming the guy. So yeah, all the best to perform. He's now going to be the new head of delegation of Italy's national teams. He's going to take the job of the late Gianluca Vialli. So let's see if you can, well, let's make sure we qualify first. Let's see if you can get a euros, win a euros as a part of the delegation.