Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon,
Ufficiale OMRI (born 28 January 1978 in Carrara, Italy), is an Italian
footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the
Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely
considered by fans and experts to be one of the most dominant and
successful goalkeepers in history. Buffon was declared by Pelé to be one
of the 125 greatest living footballers in the world. He has been named
the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record eight times, he has also
been named the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History &
Statistics) goalkeeper of the decade and goalkeeper of the 21st
Century.
Gianluigi Buffon was born into an athletic family: his mother, Maria Stella, was a discus thrower; his father, Adriano, was a weightlifter; his two sisters Veronica and Guendalina played volleyball and his uncle, Dante Masocco, played basketball. Goalkeeping legend Lorenzo Buffon is a cousin of Gianluigi's grandfather.
Buffon had two sons with his long-time girlfriend Czech model Alena Šeredová: Louis Thomas (born December 28, 2007) and David Lee (born October 31, 2009). They married in June 2011. His older son is named after Thomas N'Kono, whom Buffon idolized as a youngster.
Gianluigi Buffon was born into an athletic family: his mother, Maria Stella, was a discus thrower; his father, Adriano, was a weightlifter; his two sisters Veronica and Guendalina played volleyball and his uncle, Dante Masocco, played basketball. Goalkeeping legend Lorenzo Buffon is a cousin of Gianluigi's grandfather.
Buffon had two sons with his long-time girlfriend Czech model Alena Šeredová: Louis Thomas (born December 28, 2007) and David Lee (born October 31, 2009). They married in June 2011. His older son is named after Thomas N'Kono, whom Buffon idolized as a youngster.