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Gianluigi Buffon
Country: Italy Position: Goalkeeper The Carrara-born star is in the finest tradition of Italian goalkeepers and a worthy heir to the likes of Dino Zoff, who also wore the number one jersey for Juventus FC and Italy. Many would agree the goalkeeping position is one of the most important in any team, yet transfer fees have seldom reflected that view. The sale of Buffon has changed all that. Parma AC’s asking price of €52.29m – easily a world record for a goalkeeper – scared off FC Barcelona but not Juventus, who knew they had found the ideal replacement for Edwin van der Sar in July 2001. Agile, with a great sense of anticipation, the young keeper looks set to make the position his own for both club and country for the foreseeable future. Buffon is well aware of the standing of his predecessors, describing the challenge of living up to them as “stimulating”. He made his debut for Parma aged 17 in 1995 and went on to play 168 games for the club. Buffon was part of the Italy team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 1996. Was picked for the full squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup but did not play, Buffon then missed out on EURO 2000™ through injury.
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