The Italian icon, one of the game's good guys, was sent off for a furious outburst against referee Michael Oliver, which continued after full-time
We knew the end was coming. But not like this. As Gianluigi Buffon walked off the pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu, he was treated to the predicted standing ovation.
However, what made this such a strange, sad sight was that the Juventus goalkeeper, one of the game's true gentlemen, didn't even acknowledge the applause of the Real Madrid fans as he left the field.
He was fuming, not over his straight red card for dissent, but over what had gone before.