“Mamma mia how beautiful you are” - Gianluigi Buffon opens up on incident where Lionel Messi made him feel ‘proud’ at 37 years old

Lionel Messi once made then-37-year-old Gianluigi Buffon feel 'proud,' the legendary Italian goalkeeper has revealed. The incident occurred during the 2015 Champions League final between Juventus and Barcelona at Olympiastadion Berlin.

The Catalans went ahead in the fourth minute when Andres Iniesta set up Ivan Rakitic. Alvaro Morata brought the Bianconeri back into the game in the 55th minute.

However, Luis Suarez put his team back in front in the 68th minute after Buffon parried a Lionel Messi strike. Neymar then put the game to bed (3-1) in the seventh minute of injury time to help Barcelona register their second treble.

Following the game, La Pulga asked Buffon for his shirt, which made the Juventus man extremely proud. The Italian recently sat with TuttoJuve to discuss some of his happiest moments with the Bianconeri.

Recalling the incident with Messi, as cited by Juve FC, Buffon revealed that it made him look at himself differently.

“Leo made me proud when he asked me for the shirt and in the Berlin final and I was 37 years old. When he asked me for the shirt I said to myself, ‘Mamma mia how beautiful you are!,’" Buffon said.

He continued:

“It was one of the few moments in my life when I felt not uncomfortable but I looked at myself with different eyes. We exchanged shirts. At the end of the match, however, we had other problems, not knowing that a few years later, we would have another chance in the final.”

The 2015 final would be Lionel Messi's last appearance in a Champions League final.

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How many Champions League trophies has Lionel Messi won?

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has won the Champions League four times, all during his stay with Barcelona. The Argentine icon got his hands on the coveted trophy for the first time in the 2005-06 campaign.

The Catalans secured a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the final, with Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti getting on the scoresheet. La Pulga missed the final due to a torn muscle bundle.

Barcelona reached the final once again in the 2008-09 campaign, where they registered a 2-0 win over Manchester United, with Messi and Eto'o finding the back of the net.

La Pulga also won the esteemed trophy in 2010-11 when the Catalans defeated the Red Devils by a 3-1 score, thanks to goals from Messi, Pedro, and David Villa. The Argentine legend's final Champions League win came in the 2014-15 campaign when they beat Juventus 3-1.