Gianluigi Buffon Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Son, Net Worth & Wiki

Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon is considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Captain of his local team, ‘Juventus,’ he also captained the Italian national football team until his retirement in 2017. Juventus star Bufon has played in more than 1000 matches, including 170 international, and is one of the most recognizable names in soccer. A motivator and a man with a deeper understanding of the game, he is also regarded as a great teammate. He is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time by sports analysts. The 2015–16 season was his best season for not allowing a single goal to pass by him.

Five times he has been named ‘World’s Best Goalkeeper’ by the IFFHS. In addition, he has been hailed as one of the greatest goalkeepers of the 21st century by the organization. In 2016, he won the Golden Foot Award for goalkeepers, which is unusual for a keeper. In spite of his great career, he has also been involved in various controversies from time to time, including allegations of betting. Although the betting charges were eventually dropped, the incident negatively affected his reputation. In 2017, he announced his retirement from international football.

Gianluigi Buffon Wiki/Bio

Birth Name	Gianluigi “Gigi” Buffon
Nick Name	• Gigi • Superman
Age	45 (as in 2023) Years
Religion	Roman Catholic
Sun Sign/Zodiac Sign	Aquarius
Birth Place	Carrara, Tuscany, Italy
Date of Birth	28 January 1978
Nationality	Italian
Residence	Carrara, Tuscany, Italy
Home Town	Carrara, Tuscany, Italy
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Hobbies	Playing football, Listening to music, Traveling, Swimming
Family
Mother’s Name	Maria Stella Buffon
Father’s Name	Adriano Buffon
Brothers	None
Sisters	• Veronica Buffon (Former professional volleyball player) • Guendalina Buffon (Former professional volleyball player)
Girlfriends/Affairs
Affairs/Girlfriends	Ilaria DAmico (Italian sports pundit, journalist, and television host 2014 – present)
Marital Status, Wife and Children
Wife/Spouse	Alena Seredova (Czech model 2011-2014)
Marriage Date	June 2011
Divorce Date	May 2014
Children	Daughters- None Sons- • David Lee Buffon • Leopoldo Mattia Buffon • Louis Thomas Buffon
Education
School	Canaletto di La Spezia football school
College/University	Not Available
Educational Qualification	Not Available
Profession	Professional Footballer
Brands Endorsed	• Puma • Pepsi • PokerStars • EA Sports • Ferrarelle • Netflix • World of Tanks • Birra Moretti • Kimoa • Ti sapro aspettare
Career Manager	Andrea Pirlo
Football Career
Debut Club	Parma in November 1995
Debut International	in 1997
Current Team(s)	Parma
Jersey Number	• 1- Italy • 77- Juventus
Position	Goalkeeper
Coach/Mentor	Not Available
Career Turning Point	It was joining Parma F.C. for their youth system in 1992 that marked a turning point in his career.
Height, Weight, and Figure Measurements
Height (Approx.)	in centimeters- 190 cm in meters- 1.90 m in feet inches- 6’3”
Weight (Approx.)	in kilograms- 90 kg in pounds- 200 lbs
Figure Measurements
Chest Size	43 inches
Biceps Size	15 inches
Waist Size	34 inches
Extra Ordinary Features
Race / Ethnicity	Buffon was born in Carrara, Tuscany, although he is of Friulian origin, from Latisana.
Hair Color	Dark Brown
Eye Color	Blue
S*xual Orientation	Straight
Distinctive Features	Not Available
Dress Size	Not Available
Shoe Size	Not Available
Favourite Things
Favorite Playing Position	Goalkeeper
Favorite Food	Not Available
Favorite TV Show	Prison Break
Favorite Footballer	Thomas N’Kono

Life Journey

Gianluigi Buffon was born on January 28, 1978, in Carrara, Italy, into a family of national-level athletes. His father, Adriano, was a weightlifter, and his mother, Maria, was a discus thrower. As a child, he was surrounded by two sisters who were also interested in sports.

Buffon’s parents inspired him throughout his childhood, and the athletic genes he possessed made him hit the field as a child. After his father retired from professional sports, he became a PE teacher, and both parents focused on making their children world-class athletes.

Apparently, he had a hard time choosing which sport to follow at first but eventually chose football. As a midfielder, Buffon had a smooth start in a football training academy when he was six years old. Buffon’s early training was great for his development, and his skills kept improving with each passing year.

In his early years as a midfielder, Bufon was a great player, but as he approached his teenage years, his interest shifted from being a striker to become a goalkeeper. Buffon owed this largely to Thomas N’Kono, a keeper from Cameroon who was his idol. It was joining Parma F.C. for their youth system in 1992 that marked a turning point in his career. With his outstanding goalkeeping performance over the following years, he mesmerized everyone with his sportsmanship.

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Gianluigi Buffon is known to be a hot-headed goalkeeper on the pitch as well as in the dressing room. Many of his teammates dislike his eccentric behavior, but others call it the right attitude. A public statement once said that this was the method he used to motivate his team. He would keep using it.

The two started dating right away after Buffin met Alena Seredova in 2005. Alena, a supermodel, is from the Czech Republic. In 2011, they were married. A son was born in 2007 and another in 2009. But, in 2014, they announced their separation.

Ilaria D’Amico, a TV presenter, became Buffon’s new girlfriend following the divorce from Alena. A son was born to Bufon and Ilaria in 2016, and the couple announced they were engaged in 2017. It has been reported that Buffon said that at one point he contemplated suicide during the 2003–2004 season when he was suffering from intense depression. Instead of taking medication, Buffon recovered completely on his own.

Gianluigi Buffon Net Worth

Gianluigi Buffon’s current estimated net worth is around $25 million.

Gianluigi Buffon became the most expensive goalkeeper when he transferred from Parma to Juventus for a jaw-dropping €51.956 million in 2001. In addition to his weekly salary of $85,000, Buffon earns $5 million annually in bonuses.

Gianluigi Buffon is said to own a luxury residence in Carrara, estimated to be worth approximately $2 million. Furthermore, Buffon has a collection of luxury cars, including Maserati, Ford, and Audi. It is estimated that the luxury cars cost him $1 million.

He has been sponsored by German sportswear company Puma during his career, wearing Puma gloves and Puma King football boots, as well as appearing in Puma commercials. Additionally, he has appeared in Pepsi commercials, including one for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, where he faced off against sumo players alongside David Beckham, Ra*l, and Roberto Carlos. Buffon, an avid poker player, and gambler were hired by PokerStars to endorse their products in 2009.

The Italian Edition of PES 2008 includes a cover featuring Juventus’ Bufon alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, the global cover star. In FIFA 14, Buffon is also one of the best goalkeepers as part of EA Sports’ Ultimate Team Best Goalkeepers. He is ranked alongside Manuel Neuer, Iker Casillas, and Petr Cech. In 2011, he appeared in a commercial for the Italian mineral water company Ferrarelle.

Buffon was selected as the new face of Amica Chips in 2016. Instead, he was chosen as the new face of Head & Shoulders in Italy the following year. A Netflix docu-series called First Team: Juventus featured Buffon throughout the 2017-18 season. The World of Tanks video game announced Buffon’s partnership in May 2018. In the same year, he appeared in a commercial for Birra Moretti.

In December 2019, Buffon announced his collaboration with the Spanish clothing and accessories retailer Kimoa, which is owned by Spanish race car driver Fernando Alonso, to release four different limited-edition models of sunglasses, which represent four European cities associated with Buffon’s football career and achievements: Berlin (the location of the victorious 2006 World Cup Final), Moscow (the city where he made his international debut and won the UEFA Cup), Paris (the city in which his former club PSG is based), and Turin (the city in which his club at the time, Juventus, is based).

Buffon made a cameo appearance in the music video for “Ti sapro aspettare” by Biagio Antonacci in January 2020, in which he coaches a children’s football team against Antonacci as the opposing coach. A shot is taken by Buffon on Antonacci as the goalkeeper, with the video intentionally stopping before either the ball is scored or saved.

As of 16 July 2010, Buffon owns 50% of his hometown club Carrarese, along with Cristiano Lucarelli and Maurizio Mian. A 20% share purchase on 10 June 2011 brought his shareholding up to 40%. Through his family’s company, Buffon & Co., Buffon became the sole shareholder of Carrarese on 6 July 2012.

Despite his intentions to step down as owner of Carrarese at the end of the 2014–15 season, Buffon sold 70% of the club’s shares to Italian real estate developer Raffaele Tartaglia, who took control of the club as a minority shareholder. On 11 March 2016, the club officially declared bankruptcy after continuing to struggle financially.

Buffon joined the board of directors of the Italian textile company Zucchi Group S.p.A. on 30 May 2011, with a 19.4% share. In 2015, Buffon, who had acquired 56% of the company’s shares by then, invested €20 million to keep it from bankruptcy despite the company’s financial difficulties.

Buffon retained a 15% stake in Zucchi after ensuring Capital acquired the company in late December in a deal to restructure the company’s debt. Assurance Capital acquired GB Holding from Buffon as well as Buffon’s Zucchi Group.

In 2017, Buffon launched his own brand of wine called “Buffon #1”.

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Football Career

• Having been with the club for a few years, he finally joined as a senior in 1995 and played a vital role in the club qualifying for the UEFA U-21 Championship in the same year. As a goalkeeper, he played in most matches because the regular goalkeepers were injured, and by 1997, he had become a regular starter.
• Given the right chance, Buffon proved to his critics that he was capable of greatness in the following years. He kept the goal against many rivals and contributed to many of his team’s successes, including the ‘Italian Cup,’ the ‘Italian Super Cup,’ and the ‘UEFA Cup’ in the late 1990s.
• As well as ups and downs, he experienced some of these during this time. In 1997, he played for the national Italian team in a ‘World Cup’ qualifier tournament but was dropped from the tournament, which was scheduled for 1997. The 2000 ‘European Championship’ had a similar story, but this time it was a broken hand that led to his ouster.
• Although he had these minor glitches, his skills were never questioned, and he was signed by Juventus FC in 2001 for 45 million dollars, a record for goalkeepers.
• He proved his value by working with his teammates to win the next four championships in a row after being bought for a hefty sum. In 2003, he won the UEFA Club Football Player of the Year award and two Italian Supercups with his team. He was well known for his goalkeeping abilities during the 2002 ‘FIFA World Cup.’
• Due to the Calciopoli Scandal of 2006, he suffered a major setback in his career, as a result of betting charges. This controversy threatened to end his superbly growing career, and he also failed to perform well at this time. His club underperformed at this time and lost two league titles.
• Despite Buffon’s clearing from all allegations, Juventus decided to retain him despite mounting pressure to dismiss him. In 2006 he led his country to the ‘FIFA World Cup.’ He performed magnificently and gave up only two goals. In December, he was named the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper and received the Yashin Award.
• In the same year, he narrowly missed winning the ‘Ballon d’Or’.
• He attempted to continue his magnificent performance during the 2010 ‘FIFA World Cup,’ but a back injury prevented him from participating in the biggest international sporting event of the year. At the 2008 and 2012 World Championships, he was a member of the World teams due to his great performance.
• In the meantime, his highly successful tenure with ‘Juventus’ continued, and his performance led the team to win back-to-back first division titles in 2012 and 2013. He proved his critics wrong even as he grew older, despite the onset of age-related challenges. 
• In the 2013 ‘Italian Supercup’ final match, he gave up no goals to lead his team to victory. Many soccer scholars consider him to be the greatest goalkeeper of all time, having broken many records by then, and he was already hailed as the greatest goalkeeper of the twenty-first century.
• It was Buffon who led his team to the 2014 World Cup title, and though the team ended up performing poorly overall, he received praise for his style and technique.
• Buffon took part in his 126th match for his national team in October 2016 and was heartbroken when the team did not perform well in the international arena.
• After failing to qualify for the tournament, he immediately retired. He had expressed his intention to retire after the ‘FIFA World Cup’ 2018. Juve continues to play him, however.

Controversies

• It was controversial in Italy for Buffon to wear the number 88 shirt rather than his previous number 1 shirt while at Parma in 2000–01. Buffon claimed he wasn’t aware of the neo-Nazi connotations of 88, stating that it symbolized “four balls”, symbols of the character and attributes of a person. In addition to representing his “rebirth,” he said that they also represented his need for these attributes after his injury prior to Euro 2000. He then offered to switch numbers, choosing squad number 77 instead.
• In September 1999, Buffon faced heavy criticism and severe disciplinary sanctions for bearing the fascist slogan “Boia chi molla” (“who gives up is a scoundrel”) handwritten on a T-shirt under his goalkeeping jersey, which he wore and showed during media interviews after a match against Lazio. Buffon apologized publicly, saying it was a stupid and naive gesture, because he was completely unaware of the slogan’s neofascist associations, saying he had first encountered it written on a boarding school desk, and was unaware of its far right-wing association and, in particular, its use with the neo-fascists in Reggio Calabria during the Reggio revolt in the early 1970s. Parma had previously suffered some disappointing results, so he said he simply intended to use the slogan to energize his teammates and fans.
• He was sentenced to four years in prison in 2000 for falsifying an accounting diploma to enroll for a law degree at the University of Parma, and ultimately paid a fine of 6,350,000 Lire in 2001; he later expressed his regret for the dishonest act.
• Buffon was initially put down for Italy’s 2006 World Cup squad after his place in the squad was questioned on 12 May 2006, during the height of the Calciopoli scandal. Bufon was formally interrogated and admitted to betting on sporting events until players were prohibited from doing so in October 2005, but denied betting on Italian football matches ever. The charges against him were dropped in December 2006. After Italy’s 2006 World Cup victory celebrations at Circus Maximus in Rome, he attracted further controversy by displaying a banner received from the crowd, with the writing “Fieri di essere italiani” (“Proud to be Italian”), as well as a Celtic cross, a symbol which has been adopted by neo–Nazis in recent years; Buffon later stated that he had not seen the symbol.
• At the end of the second half of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg away to Real Madrid on 11 April 2018, Juventus needed a 3–0 victory to force extra time, and that was the scoreline when referee Michael Oliver awarded a penalty to Real Madrid. Juventus lost to Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to a penalty kick that Buffon converted as a direct result of a confrontation with Oliver.

Facts About Gianluigi Buffon

• Does Gianluigi Buffon smoke?: Yes
• Does Gianluigi Buffon drink Alcohol?: Yes
• He is the highest capped player for Europe.
• He played for Parma from 1995 to 2001 before joining Juventus.
• He was part of the team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
• Among the 100 greatest living players, Pele named him in his FIFA 100 list in 2004.
• It is his eleventh time in a row winning the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award.
• During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, played 453 minutes without a slip-up.
• In 2006, he was accused of illegally betting on Serie A matches.
• Maria Stella, his mother, was a discus thrower, and Adriano, his father, was a weightlifter.
• It was in 2012 that he became vice-president of the Italian Footballers’ Association.

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