Gianluigi Buffon was an Italian soccer player.
Gianluigi `` Gigi '' Buffon ( [ ˈdʒiːdʒi bufˈfɔn ] , Ufficiale OMRI ; born 28 January 1978 ) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper . Buffon is one of only eighteen players to have made at least 1,000 professional career appearances ; with 168 international caps , Buffon is also the most capped player in the history of the Italian national team , the joint fifth-most capped male international footballer of all time , alongside Iván Hurtado , and the most capped European international player ever . He was the starting goalkeeper of the Italian team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup , which saw him keep a record five clean sheets , and concede only two goals , neither of which were in open play .