It was the passing of the mantle. On 21 November, as the final whistle was blown at the Juventus Stadium, one Gianluigi sought out another.
The master embraced the prodigy, handing him his shirt, desperate for one in return. Only Buffon would end the evening with a clean sheet, as his Juve side beat Milan 1-0 in Turin. But it was a moment that signified a new beginning.
Just a month after becoming the youngest goalkeeper ever to appear in Italy’s top flight, at 16 years and eight months, Gianluigi Donnarumma had been officially anointed as the future.