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Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, 2006)
Gianluigi Buffon may not yet have won the Champions League title that his storied career deserves, but if he is to retire, at least he has the consolation of knowing that he has been a world champion. And not only that, he played a major role as Italy won in Germany 2006, beating France on penalties in the final.
Buffon did not actually play a great role in the shootout that helped the Azzurri to glory – the penalty that France squandered came off the bar from David Trezeguet – but what had gone before it was impressive.
He posted a string of records in the competition, notably keeping five clean sheets and only conceding in the final from a Zinedine Zidane penalty. The other he allowed was an own goal in the group stage. Included in this remarkable sequence was a 453-minute shutout streak, which is the second longest in World Cup history.
In terms of individual displays, it was the round-of-16 performance against Australia that stood out, as Italy faced a crisis moment against the underdogs. He steadied his team, who eventually progressed and went on to win the whole tournament.
It was a mark of Italy’s defensive strength that center-back Fabio Cannavaro won the 2006 Ballon d’Or, with Buffon the runner-up.
