The goalkeeper retired from international football following Italy’s shock World Cup elimination. Mark Doyle tells the story of the legend’s rise to greatness
Before every Parma game, coach Nevio Scala would pass by each player’s room to assess their frame of mind.
On the eve of the Serie A meeting with AC Milan on November 19, 1995, he was interested in the demeanour of one player in particular, the 17-year-old Gianluigi Buffon.
"Gigi had never played in the first team before and we were playing a team of superstars: Roberto Baggio, George Weah, Paolo Maldini," Scala tells Goal.