Gianluigi Buffon was a professional soccer player.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup , the quadrennial international football world championship tournament . Gianluigi `` Gigi '' Buffon ( [ ˈdʒiːdʒi bufˈfɔn ] , Ufficiale OMRI ; born 28 January 1978 ) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper . The UEFA Club Footballer of the Year was a football award presented by UEFA to the most outstanding performers of the European club football season .