36 not out.
Whilst David de Gea may well have rightly taken the plaudits from his absolutely stunning performance against Liverpool today, the Godfather of the Goalkeepers’ Union sent out a timely reminder that he has gone nowhere.
Gianluigi Buffon may well be 12 years the senior of young de Gea but he has been at the top for longer than the Spaniard has even been playing and his save today in Serie A just further showed off why he is one of the greatest of all time. Juventus drew with Sampdoria 1-1 in Turin but the former Italian stopper produced an outstanding reflex save to redirect his weight owing to a deflection and show off a strong hand to tip stubbornly over the crossbar.
This one probably shows it off a bit better, considering the pace on the ball.
And, whilst Manuel Neuer may well be taking the piss now with his contributions outside of his box, Gianluigi isn’t stuck in his ways. And he proved he can mix it beyond his goal line as well. Twice he comes with two tidy headers to break up the play and retain possession. The third time is just no-nonsense row z stuff. Nothing flashy, all effect.
You’re still our favourite, Buffon.
