03 July 2024
3rd July 2001
Juventus, in the midst of a managerial turnover that saw many stars brought in to wear the black and white shirt, having finalised the deal to sign Lilian Thuram from Parma, decided to invest in another great talent from the Emilian team: Gianluigi Buffon.
Not just a goalkeeper, but THE goalkeeper par excellence: the greatest of all time according to many, certainly one who wore the Juventus shirt like a second skin - becoming the symbol of several seasons of Juventus history, overcoming enormous challenges and also enjoying periods of complete dominance.
All this whilst remaining at a high level and at the top of his game.
A story that began on a humid Tuesday in July 2001, when Buffon arrived in Turin in a black shirt and light trousers: his long, slick hair, swept behind his ears and ready to pose for photos – spreading his arms wide to illustrate his ability to occupy the entire goal (as he would prove on the pitch in the years to come).
The figures, just like Buffon's performance, were mind-blowing: 105 billion Lira, for a long time the most expensive signing in Juventus history and the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world - surpassed only in recent years by the record figures set by the Premier League.
An investment, however, that had a great return, with the Bianconero goalkeeper making the second highest number of Juventus appearances of all time - 685 games - behind only Alessandro Del Piero; a shining symbol for a team that in his safe hands found consistent results that allowed the club to break all kinds of records.
A long success story that started 23 years ago today: a special anniversary for a Juventus legend.
