Gianluigi Buffon was an Italian soccer player in the 1990s.
Gianluigi `` Gigi '' Buffon ( [ ˈdʒiːdʒi bufˈfɔn ] , Ufficiale OMRI ; born 28 January 1978 ) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper . At club level , Buffon 's professional career began with Parma in 1995 , where he made his Serie A debut , and was soon promoted to the role of starting goalkeeper , earning a reputation as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in Italy ; during his time with the club , he won the Coppa Italia , the UEFA Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana , all in 1999 . Parma Calcio 1913 S.r.l. , commonly referred to as Parma , is an Italian football club based in the city of Parma that currently competes in Lega Pro , the third tier of Italian football . Serie A ( [ ˈsɛːrje ˈa ] ) , also called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by TIM , is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Coppa Campioni d'Italia .