Gianluigi Buffon: The Juventus keeper still making history

Gianluigi Buffon has won 154 international caps for Italy

Gianluigi Buffon has broken the record for minutes played without conceding in Serie A matches.

The Juventus goalkeeper, 38, set a new mark of 973 minutes before being beaten by a penalty in the league leaders' 4-1 win over derby rivals Torino.

Sebastiano Rossi had held the Serie A record, set with AC Milan in 1993-94.

Buffon had previously beaten Dino Zoff's club record of 903 minutes without conceding as he chalked up 10 successive league clean sheets.

Here, we take a look at Buffon's career.

Debut

Robson & Jerome were number one in the UK singles chart with 'I Believe' and Newcastle United were six points clear at the top of the Premier League when a 17-year-old Buffon made his first appearance as a professional for Parma against AC Milan on 19 November 1995.

"I remember every last detail of the day itself, particularly the feelings of excitement and joy I had before kick-off that completely overrode any of the nerves or tension," Buffon said.

"On the way to the stadium I noticed that everyone on the coach was surprised to see me there and maybe a little worried that I'd be starting the match. That's why I turned to [team-mate] Alessandro Melli and said: 'I hope Milan get a penalty today so I can save it.'"

He was able to keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw. It would be the first of many.

On top of the world

Buffon first went to the World Cup back in 1998, although he did not play as he remained second-choice option behind Gianluca Pagliuca. He then took over the starting position from 2002.

Four years later he was a key figure as Italy were crowned world champions; over the course of seven matches he conceded only an own goal and a penalty from Zinedine Zidane in the final win over France.

Buffon has since appeared at both the 2010 and 2014 tournaments as has amassed 154 international appearances.

Buffon went from 10 January to 20 March without conceding a goal in Serie A

He's won what?

As well as the 2006 World Cup, Buffon is closing in on his seventh Serie A title with Juventus. He also stayed and helped the Old Lady win promotion when they were relegated in 2006 for their involvement in Italy's match-fixing scandal. He has won the Coppa Italia twice and, when he was at Parma, one Uefa Cup.

What he's not won

Buffon might be a World Cup winner but he is yet to win the Champions League and will not do so this season after Juve's defeat by Bayern Munich in the last 16.

He saved two penalties in the 2003 Champions League final shootout against AC Milan at Old Trafford but still ended up on the losing side.

Buffon also skippered the team as they lost 3-1 in last season's final against Barcelona in Berlin.

Did you know?

• Buffon hails from a sporting family. His father represented Italy in the shot put, his mother did the same in the discus, while his two sisters are volleyball players. His grandfather's cousin, Lorenzo Buffon, played in goal for AC Milan and Inter Milan

• A participant at the 1996 Olympics, Buffon made his senior debut for Italy aged 19 as a substitute for the injured Gianluca Pagliuca in a 1998 World Cup qualifying play-off against Russia.

• A Uefa Cup winner with Parma in 1999, he became the world's costliest keeper when he joined Juventus in a £23.3m deal two years later.

• Celebrated his 100th outing for Italy by keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in 2009.

Former striker Alessandro Del Piero tweeted this last October after Gianluigi Buffon passed his record for most minutes played for Juventus.

What Buffon said

About the record: "This record belongs to the entire team and our fans. It also goes to my team-mates, who do all the defensive work well before the ball even gets near the goal."

About a potential move to the Premier League: "I remember when I was 20 years old in 1998 I had dinner once with [Arsene] Wenger from Arsenal. Then when I was at Parma, Manchester United definitely had their eyes on me for a long time with [Sir Alex] Ferguson. Let's say that the most serious and direct approach I had was from Manchester City."

On his retirement plans: "If I can push myself up to the 2018 World Cup then I'll go on. After that I'll close the door and stop playing football."

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is closing in on a second Serie A title with the help of Buffon