Gianluigi Buffon - From Berlin to B, and back again

With victory over Real Madrid in the semi-final, Gianluigi Buffon had confirmed the final leg of a remarkable journey. Much has been made of the fact that the venue of this year’s Champions League Final is Berlin, and the significance this has for some of the Juventus squad. Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Barzagli, and Buffon were part of the Italy squad that won the World Cup in 2006, defeating France on penalties in the final at Berlin. In 2006, the Italian cry ahead of the final was Andiamo a Berlino. Now, its Torniamo a Berlino. However, unlike Pirlo and Barzagli, the journey to the biggest club game in the World has been one full of challenges for Gigi Buffon, and it’s been one that has its origins in that summer of 2006.

It takes an excellent goalkeeper to lead his team to a World Cup Final. From 2002 up until 2010 especially, there were clear candidates in this role. Oliver Kahn was widely praised for his outstanding goalkeeping in the 2002 World Cup, which led to him being named as the Best Player in the Tournament. Iker Casillas bounced back from an indifferent group stage to keep 4 straight clean sheets on his way to the title. In 2006, Gianluigi Buffon conceded two goals throughout the entirety of the World Cup. These consisted of an own goal from Cristian Zaccardo, and a penalty in the final from Zinedine Zidane. Throughout the tournament, he regularly made fantastic saves that kept Italy in control of their destiny, none more than his performance in the semi-final against Germany. What has gone in history as a true football classic, the sides remained deadlocked up until the final minute of extra time before Fabio Grosso curled a first time shot beyond Jens Lehmann. The full back was soon mobbed during the celebrations, and in amongst the pile of players was Buffon, delirious at the breakthrough but urging his players back to his feet at the same time. Alessandro Del Piero added a second moments later, completing one of the most fascinating finishes to World Cup match ever.

Throughout that World Cup however, Italian football was in turmoil. Before the tournament in Germany kicked off, a scandal was uncovered by Italian police, implicating Juventus, reigning League Champions, and other major teams including AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina in a match fixing scandal. A number of telephone interceptions showed an in depth network of relations between team managers and referee organizations, and these teams were accused of rigging matches by selecting favourable referees. On the 4 July, the same day as that epic semi-final between Germany and Italy, chief prosecutor from the Italian Football Federation Stefano Palazzi called for all the clubs at the centre of the scandal to be thrown out of the Serie A. The most draconian of punishments were proposed and laid down for Juventus, deemed to be the biggest offenders. Their initial sanction was

·      Immediate demotion to Serie B

·      A 30 point deduction

·      A €31 million fine

·      stripped of the 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles

·      expulsion from the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League

·      Three home games behind closed doors

Only through appeal was the points deduction reduced to nine, making a return to the Serie A, a much more realistic possibility than before. The fine was also removed. However, the challenge ahead for Juventus to return to the Serie A and the elite of European football still remained a long and difficult task.


The Serie B. No longer would Juventus face the likes of Roma, Milan and Napoli but now the unfamiliar names of Crotone, Mantova and AlbinoLeffe. And they would do it without many star names. No sooner had the World Cup ended did the mass exodus begin. Faced with playing in the second tier, Fabio Cannavaro, Italian captain, Brazilian midfielder Emerson and manager Fabio Capello all promptly departed for Real Madrid. Lillian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta to Barcelona. Patrick Vieira and Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to rivals Inter Milan. All first team players, all World Class players. Juventus were left to play outside the top flight for the first time in their history without the nucleus of their current squad. However, Buffon decided to stay. The hero of the recent World Cup and irreplaceable man between the sticks was going to stick around in the second tier. He said of his decision, “It was an instinctive decision to stay. I didn’t have to think about it. It was a moment of difficulty for the club, and unthinkable to leave”. It was a decision that the club are still reaping the benefit from to this day.


It was such admirable loyalty that forever endeared him to the Juventus support, along with Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet, and Mauro Camorenesi. It was truly unthinkable to imagine someone like Del Piero leaving in such circumstances, and he didn’t. However, Buffon was 28, and without any argument, the best goalkeeper in the World. That same summer, AC Milan were facing an uncertain future, albeit suffering less severe sanctions than Juventus. Andrea Pirlo had his sights set on Real Madrid also, having been offered a contract from Los Blancos. In response, AC Milan offered Pirlo a blank contract, allowing him to decide his own wages in order to keep him. With the threat of demotion not hanging over AC Milan, it was easier for Pirlo to stay where he was. It is safe to say though, that there would have been a number of teams across Europe alone that would have considered offering a blank contract for the services of Buffon. Aside from that however, allegations were levelled against the goalkeeper of illegally betting on Serie A matches during the height of Calciopoli scandal.  It initially put his place in Italy's 2006 World Cup squad at risk, and he was formally interrogated over the allegations. While admitting placing bets on sporting matches, before regulations preventing players to do so were introduced in October 2005, he denied ever placing wagers on Italian football matches. He was cleared of all charges in December 2006, and the overall experiences off the field could have easily convinced him to leave Italian football altogether.


It was a difficult situation for all involved with the club. On the field saw massive squad turnover and demotion. Off the field, as disgraced officials removed from office, they were also searching for a new stadium. That summer they decided to leave the Stadio Delle Alpi in search of a new home. The 69’000 capacity stadium was never truly seen as a fortress in the eyes of Juve fans. The athletics track impacted on the sightline for fans and often diluted the impressive tifosi displays in the ground, stifling the overall atmosphere. If the ground looked out of place at times in the Serie A, then it would been a sight for sore eyes in the Serie B. The demotion to the second tier was not the reason the club left the ground, however, as they sought to be in control of their own destiny. They decided to build a more supporter friendly stadium that would give them greater sources of revenue in the future. The new Juventus Stadium would be eventually be opened in 2011. In the meantime, the club played their games at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, another controversial ground given its low capacity. In this time of great transition for the club, supporters and officials alike looked to its loyal servants like Del Piero and Buffon for leadership.


Didier Deschamps replaced Capello as Juventus manager and set about returning to the top tier at the first attempt. He built his team around those who stayed, youth players such as Claudio Marchisio, and experienced signings like Robert Kovač and Jean-Alain Boumsong. Despite these additions, Juventus stumbled in their opening game of the season, a 1-1 draw away to Rimini, who were reduced to 10 men in the 2^nd half. Having won footballs ultimate prize in front of 69’000 people that summer, Buffon and Del Piero had failed to overcome Italian second tier opposition in front of less than 10’000 spectators. An article in the Guardian titled “Sloppy Juventus suffer a rude awakening” said of their performance “Italy's disgraced champions stumble in Rimini on their first Serie B assignment”. Buffon lamented the poor nature of their performance, “We had the wrong attitude. We have the qualities of a great side, but not the concentration. We have to forget all the success we have achieved and dive into the new adventure.”


The words proved prophetic as Juventus won the Serie B title the following May by 6 points ahead of Napoli, despite their points deduction. Buffon made 37 appearances in the division that season, conceding 21 goals. Juventus had negotiated the first difficult step on their road to redemption. Deschamps decided to resign before the end of the 2006-07 and was ultimately replaced by Claudio Ranieri. For the first campaign back in the Serie A, Ranieri strengthened the squad with names such as Hasan Salihamidžić, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Zdeněk Grygera. Once again, however, it was Buffon who was key for the Blanconeri that season, as they finished 3^rd in their first season back. Buffon was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the seventh time in his career. A seventh award might have you think it would have less meaning but given the rapid nature of their return to the elite of Italian football and Buffon’s involvement in that comeback, it was a worthy achievement for the goalkeeper.


Injury problems stemming from a herniated disc in his back, surfaced during the 2007-08 season and became troubling enough keep Buffon out for long periods of the following season. His deputy, Alex Manniger performed well enough to keep the position, as recurring injuries disrupted Buffon’s form and consistency. Despite these setbacks, he was adamant he wanted to stay at the club and signed a 5 year contract, stating his ambition to win everything at the club. Juventus reached the last 16 of the Champions League that season, losing out to Chelsea and eventually finished 2^nd in the League behind Inter Milan. However, Ranieri and the club reached a mutual agreement for his departure as manager that summer, and he was replaced by club legend and Buffon’s former team-mate, Ciro Ferrerra. Despite starting the season strongly, Buffon and the squad suffered a severe dip in form, suffering elimination from the group stage of the Champions League in December. Ferrara was sacked in January 2010. His interim replacement Alberto Zaccheroni could only lead the club to 7^th place in the league, and a quarter final appearance in the Europa League. Injuries continued to plague Buffon into the 2010-11 season as Juventus woes continued, even with a new manager in Luigi Del Neri. The keeper only made 16 league appearances as Juventus finished 7^th again, missing out on European football for the first time in 20 years.


Despite making a rapid ascent to the top table of Italian football, Juventus had regressed and stagnated in the years that followed. Buffon had for the first time in his career battled with injuries for long periods that affected not only his form but the clubs as well. As the club entered their new stadium, they had a new manager in Antonio Conte, another former team-mate of Buffon’s. With his injury woes behind him, Buffon re-found his form, making numerous important saves throughout the season. The highlight of these included saving a penalty from Francesco Totti, which enabled Juventus to secure a vital draw away to Roma. Crucial results were coming to fore once again as Juventus began to dominate the Serie A. The club went undefeated in the League throughout the entire season, as they claimed the league title for the first time since the Calciopoli scandal in 2006. And it was in no small part due to the resurgence of Buffon. He conceded only 16 goals in 35 League appearances, recording 21 Clean sheets and a 82% save percentage, that ranked the highest among any goalkeeper across the best leagues in Europe. He was named to the Serie A Team of The Year in recognition of his superb form. He described the 2011-12 season as the second highest point of his career after the World Cup victory. A stellar year was topped off with nominations for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or and the 2012 UEFA Team of the Year, although he would miss out on both.



That season marked the end of Alessandro Del Piero’s Juventus career. Both Del Piero and Buffon were the last remaining World Cup stars who remained loyal to the club in the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal. While Giorgio Chiellini was key member of the squad when the scandal broke, he was not part of the Italian World Cup winning side. Marchisio was promoted to the Senior squad after the scandal. Andrea Barzagli and Pirlo both joined the club in 2011. Del Piero’s departure allowed Buffon to become captain of the club. It was a popular appointment amongst the fans. Buffon lifted his first trophy as Juventus captain with the Supercoppa Italiana win in August 2012. It was something he would was going to get used to. The league title win in 2012 would be the first of four consecutive League titles for Buffon and Juventus.



As Italian dominance was assured, thoughts switched to the clubs return to Europe. Taking into account their off field developments and the team that Conte had built, I was quietly confident that Juventus would win the Champions League within the next 5 years. In the 2012-13 edition, they were placed in a difficult group with Shakhtar Donetsk and reigning champions Chelsea, However, they topped the group undefeated, knocking out Chelsea from the competition proper with a comprehensive 3-0 win in Turin. They faced a spirited test in the face of Celtic in the last 16 but came through with an impressive 5-0 aggregate win. Unfortunately for Buffon and Juventus, they faced a quality Bayern Munich side in the next round that boasted immense attacking talent in the form of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. The German side’s intentions were announced in the opening minute of the first leg as David Alaba struck a long range shot that flew past Buffon. Bayern dominated over the two legs, creating chance after chance. If it were not for Buffon in goal, Juventus would have faced a similar fate that fell the FC Barcelona in the semi-final. As it was, they lost both games 2-0. At the end of the calendar year, Buffon was nominated for the 2013 FIFPro XI and the 2013 Ballon d'Or for his consistent performances.


The following season, they surprisingly exited the group stage of the Champions League behind Real Madrid and Galatasary. They managed to bounce back and reach the Europa League semi-finals, before losing to Benfica in the semi-final, denying them the opportunity to play the final at their own stadium. Buffon was named 2013–14 Europa League Team of the Season for his performances in the competition. Antonio Conte surprisingly resigned as manager that summer, but Buffon re-affirmed his commitment to Juventus by signing a 3 year contract extension. Despite the uncertainties that came with Massimiliano Allegris appointment, the club would go on to have an excellent season. And Buffon remained as consistent as ever, going 606 minutes unbeaten early in the League season (having gone 801 minutes unbeaten the season previous). He was nominated for the 2014 FIFPro World XI and a week later, the UEFA Team Of The Year again. This was soon followed by his ninth Serie A goalkeeper of the year award and another Serie A Team of the Year award. He moved into 2^nd place behind Del Piero in the all-time appearances list for the club. Meanwhile the club won the League comfortable 17 point margin, won the Coppa Italia for the first time in 20 years and, to the rest of Europe’s surprise, reaching the Champions League Final for the first time since 2003. Needless to say, the man for the big occasion stepped up to produce a Man of the Match performance against reigning champions Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu. Even at 38 years old, his passion at the final whistle was clearly evident.





Despite a successful career, full of team and personal honours, the Champions League title still eludes Gigi. His only previous appearance came in that 2003 final, where Juventus lost on penalties to AC Milan, after a 0-0 draw. He saved two penalties in the shoot-out that night, and it was hard to imagine he would have to wait long before winning the competition. Little did anyone know that he would have to face monumental professional obstacles that lesser individuals either would have baulked at or failed to overcome. However, Buffon is still here. He is still a key member of the Juventus first team. He will be the last man standing between Barcelona and their fifth European Cup. As daunting a task facing a trio of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi will be, Juventus have arguably the best goalkeeper in the World at their disposal. In the man’s own words “Berlin is not my last chance to win it, simply because I will not quit playing after this final.” Winning the Champions League will be the final affirmation to the claim that Gianluigi Buffon is the greatest Goalkeeper of All Time.



In my opinion, he already is.