Buffon
Flickr photo by Muhammad Ashiq shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA 2.0) license.

The end of Buffon’s glorious Juventus career

Ahmed Hasan·
Juventus
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Success in domestic competitions was soon followed by a chance for glory on the continental stage. Having kept six clean-sheets in the 2002-03 Champions League campaign, Buffon helped Juventus reach the first all-Italian final in the competition’s history. Penalty saves from Seedorf and Kaladze had fans jubilant, but Dida managed to top that with three stops as AC Milan were crowned champions on penalties. This would prove to be the first of multiple missed European opportunities for the Italian legend.

Rise, fall, and rise

Buffon would win Serie A once again in 2005 and 2006, but Juventus were stripped of both these titles due to their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. Several players, including Buffon, were accused of participating in illegal betting on Serie A matches – but he was later acquitted of the allegations. Nonetheless, Juventus were relegated to Serie B and handed a massive point-deduction.

Many players left the Old Lady for greener pastures, but Buffon stayed and emphasised his loyalty to the club. Doubts were also raised due to his selection in the World Cup squad that year, only for Italy to win a historic title.  A record five clean-sheets almost propelled Gigi to the Balon d’Or as well, with the goalkeeper finishing runner-up to teammate Fabio Cannavaro.

Buffon played in the second-tier of Italian football for a year and helped Juventus to the title, conceding only 30 goals during the campaign. Jupp Heynckes described Buffon’s loyalty in the following words:

“Buffon is one of the greatest and best goalkeepers in football history. When Juventus were in Serie B, he showed himself to be faithful to the team, it was a great gesture.”

As fate would have it, the Italian legend would have to wait six years to get his hand on the Scudetto again. In 2012, the Bianconeri would make history by becoming the only Italian side to go through a league campaign undefeated. The World Cup winner played a vital role in Juventus’ Invincibles, conceding just 20 goals in Serie A and setting a new league record.

Nearing the end

Buffon would get his hand on the Coppa Italia for the first time in 2015, after losing the final three times since joining he club. He was, however, not in the starting line-up for the final. The Italian shot-stopper would win the title three more times on the trot with Juventus, but only played the 2018 final as his side triumphed 4-0 against AC Milan.

After a seemingly endless wait, Juventus reached the Champions League final again in 2015. Both Juventus and Barcelona were looking to claim an illustrious treble in Berlin, but the Blaugrana put three past Buffon. Luckily for Gigi, he didn’t have to wait long to contest the final again. Unfortunately, it was more of the same against Los Blancos, who claimed their second successive Champions League title. He could only look on in agony as Real Madrid mercilessly slotted four past Juventus – one more than he had conceded during the entire Champions League campaign that season.

Juventus, along with their captain, would dominate Serie A for seven straight years, brushing aside all their Italian opposition. Buffon was at the forefront of his side after Del Piero’s departure in 2012, setting multiple records during this spell. For five of those seasons, he was crowned Serie A’s best goalkeeper. Italy and Juventus teammate Andrea Pirlo gave an apt description of the man:

“Watching him close-up in training and during games is really quite impressive. Weaknesses? He has none.”

In his final Champions League campaign, the veteran wanted to win the coveted trophy more than anything. A repeat of last year’s final meant that Juventus had to square off against Real Madrid in the quarter-final. With the tie level at 3-3, Mehdi Benatia fouled Lucas Vasquez in the dying moments of the game at the Bernabéu. Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, leaving Juventus and Buffon to rue what was quite possibly their last chance at European silverware together.

Buffon protested against the referee’s decision vehemently, but the official was vexed by his behaviour and showed him a straight red card. This denied him the chance to save Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty, with the Portuguese forward smashing it past substitute keeper Szczesny to send Real Madrid to the semi-final. This was not the fairy-tale ending many had in mind for a player of his calibre, but there may be hope elsewhere as switching to a European rival is definitely not out of the question.