Gianluigi Buffon Made His Professional Debut 23 Years Ago Today

23 years ago today, Gianluigi Buffon made his professional debut for Parma and kicked off a glittering career in between the sticks.

Buffon was just 17 years of age at the time and had the difficulty task of thwarting a wonderful AC Milan side brimming with quality.

However, he displayed maturity beyond his years and managed to keep a clean sheet in a goalless draw. One of the Rossoneri stars Buffon thwarted back in 1995 was George Weah, who won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.

Fast forward to the present day and Buffon is teammates with Weah's son Timothy at PSG, while the 52-year old is now the president of Liberia.

Gigi' would go on to win both the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup with Parma before joining Juventus in a world-record deal for a goalkeeper in 2001.

He spent 17 glorious years at the Bianconeri before bowing out with a record ninth Scudetto victory last season. But instead of retiring from football altogether despite a behind the scenes role being mooted, Italy's most capped player has moved on to a new challenge in the French capital.

Image: PA

The World Cup winner is still going strong at 40, making eight appearances in all competitions for his new employers.

Buffon still has a chance to finally lift the Champions League trophy that slipped through his grasp on so many occasions.

Topics: Football News, Parma, Football, Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus, Italy

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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