Gianluigi Buffon: 5 Greatest Moments at Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Gianluigi Buffon spent 17 years at Juventus

There were no tears from Gianluigi Buffon at the press conference when he announced that he was leaving Juventus at the end of the season. Just a big smile; a final sense of release as the Italian goalkeeper ends a long and prosperous era in Turin that lasted 17 seasons.

When Juve decided to splash the equivalent of €52m on a goalkeeper way back in 2001, people thought it was madness. But this was Buffon. And he chose Juve over Barcelona and AS Roma to win the elusive Serie A title.

He eventually finished with 18 top flight titles with The Old Lady. But Buffon's career at Juve is one that should not be remembered for the trophies he won or lost.

We look at five of his most memorable moments with the club.


#5 Becoming Serie A's greatest champion

Gianluigi Buffon  of Juventus FC celebrate the victory of...
Nobody has won more Serie A titles than Buffon

Franco Baresi has won six. Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta have won seven. Giuseppe Furino has won eight.

Only Buffon has won nine Serie A title. And that's after Juventus were stripped of the two titles they won in 2004/05 and 2005/06 due to the Calciopoli scandal.

It was his father that urged him to sign for Juventus back in 2001 because he felt he had a better chance of winning the Scudetto. And the goalkeeper won the league for the first time in his debut season itself.

However, one of the most memorable highlights of his career will be the fact that he was part of the squad that won seven Serie A titles in a row - an unprecedented achievement.

#4 2012/13: First Serie A title as captain

Gianluigi Buffon Juventus 2012-13 Serie A
Juventus won the 2012/13 Scudetto with Buffon as captain

When Buffon steps out for the last time as a Juventus player at the Juventus Stadium, it will not be the first time he receives a tearful farewell. Back in 2012, they had bid farewell to another legendary captain in Alessandro Del Piero.

When the striker left the club, the captain's armband went to Buffon and he made it count. With Antonio Conte leading Juve's resurgence in Serie A, the club took the lead in the standings on Matchday 2 and never relinquished their position at the top.

That season, Buffon was on another level altogether. The armband had clearly given him a bigger responsibility at the back and he led by example, keeping a number of clean sheets to help Juve to the title yet again.

It was also the year when IFFHS named him the Goalkeeper of the 21st Century. Retaining the league title also gave him the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award - the eighth of his career - after he conceded just 19 goals.

#3 Going 974 minutes without conceding a goal

Gianluigi Buffon Juventus save 2015-16
Buffon has the record in Serie A for most minutes without conceding

In the 1993/94 season of Serie A, Fabio Capello's AC Milan defence had conceded just 15 goals on their way to the league title. Goalkeeper Sebastiano Rossi set a new record when the Rossoneri went 929 minutes without conceding a goal.

The ultra-competitive nature of Serie A in the '90s and early 2000s meant that it would be a record that would stand for a long time. Then came the all-conquering Juventus side that started winning league titles at will.

In the 2015/16 season, 37-year-old Buffon managed to break the record with the help of a tight defence despite a poor start. With Massimiliano Allegri on the touchline, their season had not started well at all and they were still in 10th place after 11 games.

That was when Juve's extraordinary run of clean sheets began. With Buffon in goal, they did not concede a goal between 10 January (Antonio Cassano for Sampdoria) and 20 March (an Andrea Belotti penalty for Torino).

In the process, Buffon first broke records set by both Dino Zoff and Rossi.

"My record? I’m happy I could share it with my teammates at Juventus." - Buffon

The run of clean sheets set the tone for the title race. Juve eventually went on a 25-match unbeaten streak to take the lead and eventually win the title by nine points.

#2 Unbeaten season in 2011/12

Gianluigi Buffon Juventus Unbeaten season 2011-12
Buffon celebrates after Juventus go the entire season unbeaten

Played 38. Won 23. Drawn 15. Lost 0.

It was safe to say that Juventus were well and truly back among the big boys of Serie A after their thoroughly dominant season in 2011/12. It was Juve's first title since they were stripped of two titles and relegated to Serie B.

The club had been drifting before they appointed former player Antonio Conte to replace Luigi Delneri and the move worked wonders. Conte's meticulous approach and energy revived a club that was in desperate need of an uplift.

Juventus conceded only 20 goals in 38 games that season. And Buffon was in goal for 35 games in that campaign.

The run did not end there, though. Juventus would extend that run to 49 games before they were finally beaten 3-1 by Inter at home - also the first time they lost a game at Juventus Stadium.

“It hurts to lose, obviously it hurts, but it’s right to give credit to Inter, who played in a very intelligent way, with a great will to win." - Gianluigi Buffon

#1 Staying with Juventus despite relegation to Serie B

Juventus' goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon ce...
Buffon became a fan favourite after he opted to stay with Juventus after relegation

The summer of 2006 was a roller coaster of emotions for Italian football fans. The Calciopoli scandal was the darkest moment in Italian football which was soon eclipsed by the Azzurri coming home with the FIFA World Cup trophy after beating France in the final in Berlin.

However, once the dust settled after the World Cup, Juventus found themselves in Serie B - relegated after winning the 2005/06 Serie A title after they were found guilty of rigging games.

Of course, players with no real link to the club moved on. Fabio Cannavaro, Lilian Thuram, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic departed but the likes of Buffon, Del Piero and Pavel Nedved stayed with the club, opting not to desert The Old Lady.

Despite a 9-point penalty (originally 30 points), Juve managed to top the league and win the Serie B title tor return to Serie A. "From Berlin to Serie B and back again." said Buffon after their return to the top flight. "That’s life!"

So many words can be said about this one season outside the top flight. But Buffon probably encapsulates not only that one season of punishment but also his own character with just one quote.

"It's the one I'm most proud of." - Gianluigi Buffon

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Edited by Raunak J
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