Genoa (Italy) (AFP)
Yet another line to his legend: Gianluigi Buffon, holder with Juventus on Wednesday during the victory against Sampdoria in Genoa (2-1), tied Paolo Maldini to the list of matches played in Serie A with 647 matches.
Who else but Gianluigi Buffon to get to know Paolo Maldini? At 41, the goalkeeper took advantage of an injury from goalkeeper Juve Wojciech Szczesny to join the defender and other legendary Italian player, who had spent his entire career at AC Milan.
Buffon, who started with Parma, built his legend at Juventus in 2001 to become the most successful player in the history of Calcio with 9 titles of champion of Italy.
In his quest for a tenth title, he could overtake Maldini with a 648th game after the break, against Cagliari on January 6, a few days before celebrating his 42nd birthday.
The 647th was not the most striking for Buffon, helpless - but not guilty - on the goal he conceded. From afar, he could see two of the jewels he had rubbed shoulders with throughout his career, Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo, to secure the victory.
"Always higher. Relaxation, victory and match with a very special meaning", wrote Buffon on Twitter with reference to Ronaldo's stratospheric relaxation on Turin's second goal.
Nostalgic, he also published a tweet with two photos taken from Panini vignettes, dear to collectors young and old: one from the current season and one from his first in Parma in 1995. He was 17 years old at the time.
After an experimental year at Paris SG, where he added a title of champion of France to his record, Buffon returned this season to his club of hearts in the shoes of a replacement but still participated in six league matches and one from the Champions League.
The queen of European competitions is one of the reasons for the persistence of the most capped Italian international (176 selections): 2006 world champion with the Nazionale, Buffon still dreams of winning the Champions League after having suffered three defeats in the final (2003, 2015 and 2017).
© 2019 AFP