Gianluigi Buffon retires: 10 saves that prove he was one of the best | OneFootball

GIVEMESPORT VIDEO OF THE DAY

After 28 years of taking up his spot in between the goalposts, Gianluigi Buffon has called time on his legendary career.

The 45-year-old confirmed his decision to retire on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Italian football journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio, Buffon is expected to take up a role with the Italian national team as “Head of Delegation.”

The announcement brings an end to a career which began in 1995.

Since then, Buffon has gone on to play 1,151 games for club and country, lifting multiple trophies along the way.

That includes 10 Italian league titles, a World Cup in 2006, and multiple domestic cups along the way too.

Buffon is a legend for both club and country, having made the most appearances for Italy’s senior national team and also the most appearances in Serie A.

He kept an incredible 299 clean sheets in Italy's top-flight and is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in football history.

So to remember his incredible career, the team at GIVEMESPORT have dipped into the archives and have found 10 saves that show just how good the goalkeeper was.

Given how long the Italian spent in the game, it was never going to be possible to include all his heroics in goal. But if there is one particular Buffon save that sticks with you, feel free to let us know in our social media comments.

1 Incredible debut save for Parma

It only makes sense that we start right at the beginning.

Buffon’s debut for Parma came against AC Milan in November 1995 at just 17 years old.

He faced a team full of legends, including Roberto Baggio and George Weah.

Yet Buffon made some excellent saves during the 0-0 draw, including a sensational one to deny Baggio.

As a ball is played into the box and beyond the Parma defence, Baggio ghosts into the box unmarked and attempts to flick the ball on with a header.

Buffon, charging out of his goal, manages to dive forward and makes a fingertip save to deny the forward.

He even then made an excellent save later on in the game to keep out Marco Simone at point-blank range. A taste of what was to come.

2 Acrobatics to deny Inter

Skipping forward a few years now, Buffon had established himself as an excellent goalkeeper.

He had already claimed the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award in 1999, and he would underline his status as one of the most talented shot-stoppers in the world against Inter Milan in 2000.

Yes, Inter went on to beat Parma 3-1, but the game is more memorable for Buffon’s acrobatics.

The ball was played out to Inter’s Alvaro Recoba outside the box, who then took aim from about 30 yards with an absolute howitzer.

The ball was seemingly destined to fly into the top corner, but Buffon flung himself to his right to push the ball past the post.

All the Inter players who were watching from the sidelines could scarcely believe that he had managed to stop the effort.

3 Sensational save in the Champions League final

Buffon made the switch from Parma to Juventus in 2001 and found himself playing in the Champions League final two years later.

He lined up at Old Trafford against AC Milan in an all-Italy affair, and the goalkeeper was called into action when a cross was powered into the box for the unmarked Filippo Inzaghi.

The striker did everything right - he stooped down low to get good contact on the ball and powered it towards the goal, with Juventus defenders left stranded.

But gasps then echoed around the stadium, with Buffon getting down low to his left to get a strong hand on the ball and push it past the post.

He rose to celebrate the save as if he had just scored. Inzaghi could only hold his head in his hands in disbelief.

Not that it mattered in the end though. Milan went on to win the tie 3-2 on penalties.

4 One-hand save against Roberto Carlos

This one isn’t a case of Buffon pulling off an acrobatic effort to deny a short-range effort, but the composure from the goalkeeper here is just outrageous.

Back in 2005, Juventus and Real Madrid faced each other in the last-16 of the Champions League, with the Spanish side holding a 1-0 lead after the first leg.

David Trezeguet had got them back on level terms, but it was left to Buffon to keep it that way.

The visitors were awarded a free kick and turned to Brazilian defender Carlos. What followed was a rocket from an absurd distance, a fierce drive that was moving all over the place.

Buffon, trying to read the flight of the ball, was moving towards his right, before throwing up a hand to bat the ball away.

Ultimately, that save would go on to be decisive, with Marcelo Zalayeta grabbing an extra-time winner for the Bianconeri.

5 Fingertip save against Werder Bremen

It is probably fair to say that 2006 was a great year for Buffon. After all, he did win the World Cup.

So we’re going to spend a bit of time here, but before we get to the excellence with Italy, we have to acknowledge his acrobatics in Germany.

Juventus faced Werder Bremen in the last-16 of the Champions League, and it would ultimately be a poor night for Buffon’s side as they lost 3-2.

But it might have been an even worse scoreline were it not for the Italian goalkeeper.

Buffon made a series of excellent saves against the German opposition, but the most impressive of the lot came from a corner.

As the ball comes into the box, one Bremen player jumps up to meet the ball and guides it towards the goal.

But Buffon, who looked stranded on the line, dives superbly to his right to push the ball up and away from the goal and the encroaching opposition players.

An excellent moment on an otherwise poor night. Thankfully for Juventus supporters, their side went on to turn the match around in the second leg.

6 Denying Podolski at the World Cup

Arguably the second-most important save Buffon made at the 2006 World Cup. Most people probably know what is coming next.

Italy had advanced to the semi-finals of the competition in Germany, where they faced the host nation's exceptionally strong team which included the likes of Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose.

Both teams had chances to open the scoring, but arguably the best fell to Lukas Podolski.

With Italy’s midfield absent, Germany worked the ball to Podolski on the left side of the box.

He shifted the ball onto his left foot before unleashing a powerful effort, with Buffon pulling off an incredible one-handed reaction save to push it over the goal.

That would turn out to be one of the most important moments of the match, up there with Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero scoring in extra time to send Italy into the final.

7 The save that won the World Cup

Buffon and Italy had just overcome one tough opponent in Germany but faced an even more difficult opponent in the 2006 World Cup final, France.

Les Bleus’ side contained some of the biggest stars in the game, including Thierry Henry, Claude Makélélé, and of course, Zinedine Zidane.

The latter is remembered for two main things in this game - scoring an audacious penalty and then getting sent off after headbutting Marco Materazzi.

But he also could have been the man to win France the game were it not for Buffon.

In extra-time, Zidane found a pocket of space inside the box to guide a bullet header towards the goal. Not willing to be beaten though, Buffon gets up to tip the ball over the bar.

Italy do not win that final on penalties if Buffon doesn’t make that save.

8 Dani Alves denied

We’re skipping forward a few years now to 2015.

Barcelona faced Juventus in the Champions League final with Buffon having to deal with the insane front line of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar.

Yet it was a save from full-back Dani Alves that was his most impressive on the night.

The ball was pulled back to the Brazilian inside the box, with Buffon moving to his right to readjust.

Alves smacked the ball to the goalkeeper’s left, with the Italian just getting a strong enough fist to prevent a goal.

Unfortunately, Juventus would go on to lose the clash 3-1, with Buffon’s save a footnote in Barcelona’s triumph.

9 Goal line stop to deny Milan

The speed at which Buffon has to move here to deny Milan in 2016 is absolutely insane to rewatch.

With Mario Balotelli standing over the ball, the Italian striker sends a spectacular free-kick over the wall at some speed.

The ball is travelling so quickly that by the time Buffon sees it, he barely has time to react.

But react he does, diving down low to his right to get a hand on the ball and claw it off the line, before recovering to gather the ball before another Milan player gets to it.

10 Stopping shots against Germany again

As a final tribute to Buffon, we’re taking a look at another save that he made against Germany. This one came a decade after the first one on this list but is still just as sensational.

The two sides met in the EURO 2016 semi-finals, with Mesut Ozil and Leonardo Bonucci scoring in normal time before Germany won the game on penalties.

Amid Germany’s triumph though was an incredible save from Buffon which kept Italy in the match.

Nobody had tracked Mario Gomez into the box when a cross was floated in, with the striker only having Buffon to beat.

With the goalkeeper stumbling, defender Giorgio Chiellini got back to poke the ball away from Gomez but towards his own goal.