Gianluigi Buffon, the legendary Italian goalkeeper and current head of delegation for the national team, recently shared his insights on some of football’s greatest personalities in an interview with Corriere della Sera (via Calciomercato).
Buffon fondly recalled a touching moment with Lionel Messi during the 2015 Champions League final. “At halftime, I felt a hand on my back: ‘Gigi, shall we exchange shirts now?’ It was Messi. True greats never put on airs,” he reminisced.
On Cristiano Ronaldo, Buffon revealed a more personal side of their relationship: “We always had a beautiful rapport: confidences, judgments on new talents. I saw in him great strength but also fragility, linked to his father’s absence and the tough path he had to face.”
Buffon had high praise for Neymar, stating, “For the player and person he is, he should have won five Ballon d’Ors.”
The goalkeeper also shared warm memories of his long-standing friendship with Francesco Totti: “My true companion on this journey? That slightly cocky boy with the Roman accent, two years older than me, whom I met in the under-16 national team: Francesco Totti. We immediately developed a strong empathy. Francesco is a thoroughbred: he needs to be loved and protected.”
Regarding Mario Balotelli, Buffon expressed a mix of regret and admiration: “He’s lost his way a bit because he lost focus on the real goal: becoming the superstar he had the potential to be. But seeing him at 34, still trying at Genoa, moves me.”
Buffon also recounted a touching gesture from Paolo Maldini during his Serie A debut: “In the tunnel, I felt a pat on the shoulder. It was Paolo Maldini, encouraging me. He too had debuted in Serie A as a youngster: he knew what it meant. I’ve never forgotten that gesture.”
On the managerial front, Buffon categorized his coaches into “sergeants” and “psychologists.” He described Scala, Capello, and Conte as sergeants who shake up players, while Ancelotti and Allegri were the psychologists who calm them down.
Buffon shared an amusing anecdote about Allegri’s coaching style: “Used to Conte, who would give us terrible dressings-down, Allegri seemed like an angel to us. On the eve of a match, he wrote only ‘3’ on the tactics board. ‘You’re three times stronger than your opponents. Now go out there and win.'”
In closing, Buffon offered his prediction for the current Serie A season: “When I heard Conte was going to Napoli, I said: this year Napoli will finish either first or second.”
