Football's five greatest players of the 21st century

Goalkeeper of the Century: Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi ‘Gigi’ Buffon played his first Serie A game for the club he joined as a 13 year old, Parma, at the tender age of 17 in November 1995 against AC Milan in which he kept a clean sheet. By the following season he was already the first choice for the team. Buffon made over 200 appearances in all competitions for Parma and won the UEFA Cup before his departure for a world record fee for a ‘keeper of £32.6 million to Juventus. In Turin, Buffon has gone on to cement his legacy with many a spectacular display. He has won the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record 8 times with both Parma and Juve, been named the IFFHS goalie of the year four times and also ‘keeper of the century by the same organisation. In addition to these numerous accolades, Buffon’s shining moment came in the 2006 FIFA World Cup when he went on a record 453-minute streak without conceding a goal. In the whole tournament, Buffon didn’t concede a goal in open play against any opposition. The only goals he conceded were an own goal by Cristian Zaccardo and a penalty against France’s Zinedine Zidane in the final. He won the Yashin award, awarded to the best goalkeeper of the tournament. In addition to this, he is the only goalkeeper ever to win the UEFA Club Footballer of the year, which he won in 2003. Age appears to have caught up with Buffon and injuries have been frequent. Despite his decline, Buffon is still one of the best in Serie A, if not the best. Currently, he’s in his greatest season with Juventus ever as they are on the cusp of going the whole season undefeated in the Serie A and Coppa Italia. It will be sweet retribution for one of the greatest keepers of all time to help the Biaconeri win their first silverware since the infamous Calciopoli scandal that resulted in Juve’s relegation.

The greatest Modern Goalkeeper

Honorable mentions: Iker Casillas, Oliver Kahn, Pepe Reina, and Edwin Van Der Sar.