From Serie B to nine-time Scudetto winner – Gianluigi Buffon's greatest moments at Juventus

With the Italian icon having made his last appearance on Sunday, Goal looks back at his remarkable 17-year stay in Turin

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  The most expensive goalkeeper ever

  After proving himself the best young goalkeeper in the world at Parma, the 23-year-old Gianluigi Buffon became the most expensive goalkeeper in history when he joined Juventus in 2001 for €52 million, which remains a record.

  "Juve are a very big team," the Carrara native said at the time, "and I'm sure we're going to win many trophies together."

  He wasn't wrong…

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  Figo penalty save

  Juventus were 2-0 up on the night, and 3-2 ahead on aggregate, when Real Madrid were awarded a penalty in the 67th minute of the pair's Champions League semi-final second-leg showdown in Turin in 2003.

  Ballon d'Or winner Luis Figo stepped up to take it but his spot-kick was superbly read by Buffon, who dived to his right to push the ball away to safety. 

  Just six minutes later, Pavel Nedved made it 3-0, thus rendering Zinedine Zidane's late goal purely academic. However, as Juve midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi admitted afterwards, "If Figo's penalty had gone in, the game could have been very different."

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  Inzaghi save

  Juve's appearance in the 2003 final ended in bitter disappointment, with AC Milan triumphing 3-2 on penalties after the two sides had played out an absorbing 0-0 draw after 120 tension-filled minutes at Old Trafford.

  Buffon couldn't have done much more to help his side over the line, even saving two spot-kicks, from Clarence Seedorf and Kakha Kaladze, in the shootout.

  In addition, Juve would have fallen behind just 16 minutes in had it not been for their goalkeeper, who pulled off a stunning stop from an Inzaghi header that left the Milan forward holding his head in sheer disbelief.

  "Even today, I still don't know how he got to that ball," SuperPippo later admitted.

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  Staying at Juventus in Serie B

  During a question and answer session with young Juventus fans a couple of years ago, a boy stood up and introduced himself as Lorenzo from Parma.

  "Here's my question," he began. "Why did you decide to go down to Serie B with Juventus [in 2006] when you were a World Cup winner, given so many other teams wanted you?"

  "Hi Lorenzo," Buffon replied. "Say hello to Parma for me when you go home – it always has a place in my heart.

  "Anyway, I chose to drop down into Serie B with Juve because I thought of you. I thought about you because, in football, we talk a lot. But I firmly believe in certain moments you need to replace words with deeds."