From Weah to Maldini: Gianluigi Buffon and his father-son jersey collection

by

By: Sports Desk | Updated: February 14, 2020 10:28:07 pm

https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/02/buffon-maldini-shirt-759.jpg

Gianluigi Buffon ecstatic with Daniel Maldini’s jersey.

Gianluigi Buffon, who’s still going strong in professional football at 42, has added to his impressive jersey collection of fathers and sons who have played with or against him. The latest addition was that of Daniel Maldini, the son of AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini.

The latest jersey was added after Juventus’ 1-1 draw against AC Milan in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final on Thursday. The legendary Italian goalkeeper made nine saves to keep the Zlatan Ibrahimovic-led attack at bay. Even though, Ante Rebic managed to score past him at the hour-mark, Buffon showed that he still means business between the sticks.

After his performance and Cristiano Ronaldo’s stoppage-time penalty kept the Old Lady in the tie, Buffon traded jerseys with Daniel, who was an unused sub on the day.

The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is the son of legendary centre-back Paolo Maldini, and the grandson of the equally famous Cesare.

“In my collection, I have [Enrico] Chiesa and son, [Lillian] Thuram and son, [George] Weah and son, and now [Paolo] Maldini and son. I’m waiting for their grandchildren,” said Buffon in the post-match press conference.

Daniel, made his senior debut for the Rossoneri after coming on against Hellas Verona earlier this month.

Buffon has traded jerseys with Federico Chiesa, Marcus Thuram, and Timothy Weah, which goes on to show how long he’s been around.

While Enrico plays for Fiorentina, Marcus plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach. On the other hand, Timothy Weah, son of Ballon d’Or-winning George, played with Buffon at Paris Saint-Germain and now plies his trade for Lille.

Buffon, who won the World Cup in 2006, made his senior debut in 1995 for Parma. Since then, he has won nine Serie A titles for Juventus, five Coppa Italias, and one Ligue 1 title for Paris Saint-Germain.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd