Gianluigi Buffon receives UEFA President's Award
Thursday, August 29, 2024
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Gianluigi Buffon has been praised for his "longevity and determination" by Aleksander Čeferin, who dubbed the former Italy goalkeeper "an inspiration to football fans worldwide".
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Former Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has received the 2024 UEFA President's Award.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin handed the award to Buffon during the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League league phase draw ceremony in Monaco.
The award recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities. Few, if any, goalkeepers have remained at the top of the game for as long as Buffon, whose remarkable and consistent performances spanned an astonishing 28-year playing career.
"Gianluigi Buffon is a player I've admired since he first emerged as a young, charismatic goalkeeper for Parma in the mid-90s. Beyond his commanding presence between the posts, his longevity and determination make him an inspiration to football fans worldwide. His remarkable consistency across generations might lead many to believe that staying at the top is easy. The fact that he chose to follow his club to Serie B during his prime, despite being sought after by top clubs around the world, speaks volumes. Buffon is also one of the first athletes to openly discuss mental health and depression, helping to raise crucial awareness of this issue in professional sports."
With 176 international appearances to his name, Buffon is the most capped goalkeeper of all time, the most capped player in the history of the Italy national team and the fourth-most capped European player ever. He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2006, playing an instrumental role as Italy won the FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Buffon claimed a record ten Serie A titles, the 1998/99 UEFA Cup, six Coppa Italia trophies and a Ligue 1 crown during a club career which took him from Parma to Juventus and back, with a short spell at Paris Saint-Germain in between.
The goalkeeper made a habit of pulling off incredible saves in finals – just ask Filippo Inzaghi (2003 Champions League decider) or Dani Alves (the same competition in 2015). Like a great Italian wine, he only got better with age, winning the Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season award at 39 in 2017 after Juventus reached their second final in three years.
Buffon finally hung up his gloves a little over a year ago, ending his career where it had started back in November 1995 with Parma. "That's all folks!" he said, having guaranteed his status as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the game. "You gave me everything. I gave you everything. We did it together."
The list of previous winners of the UEFA President's Award can be found here.