Gianluigi Buffon was born on the 28th January 1978, in Carrara, Tuscany Italy, and is a professional soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for the Italian giant Juventus. He joined Juventus in 2001 and since then has appeared in 622 games for the club, winning numerous trophies, including 10 Serie A titles and three Coppa Italia. Buffon has posted several records during his long career, including most minutes played for Juventus in Serie A and in total, then most clean sheets in a single Serie A season, and longest consecutive run without conceding a goal in a single Serie A season, among many other achievements. Before Juventus, Buffon played for Parma from 1995 until 2001.
Have you ever wondered how rich Gianluigi Buffon is, as of mid- 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Buffon’s net worth is as high as $20 million, earned through his successful career as a soccer player, which has been active since 1995.
Gianluigi Buffon Net Worth $20 Million
Gigi is the son of Maria Stella, a discus thrower, and her husband Adriano, who was a weightlifter. He has two sisters, Guendalina, and Veronica, who are athletes who play volleyball professionally.
Gigi joined Parma in 1991 when he was 13 years old, and in the beginning he played in the midfield, but soon switched to the goalkeeper position. Inspired by Thomas N’Kono, Cameroon’s goalkeeper who dominated at the 1990 World Cup held in Italy, Gigi focused on goalkeeping training, and after Parma’s youth team goalkeepers suffered injuries, he was made starting goalkeeper.
After three years in the youth system, he was called up to the first team squad, and made his debut in Serie A at only 17 years old against the reigning champions Milan, and kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw. In his first season, Gigi appeared in nine games, and after became the standard goalkeeper for Parma. He stayed in Parma until the 2001 season, and played in 220 games in all competitions for the club, during which Buffon won the Coppa Italia in 1998-1999 season, the UEFA Cup the same season, and Supercoppa Italiana in 1999, all providing a strong start to his net worth.
Then in 2001 he was sold to Juventus for €52 million, which made him the most expensive player at the club – the record was only broken in 2016, when Juventus bought Gonzalo Higuaín. Apart from Juventus, Gigi also had offers from Roma and Barcelona, but on his father’s suggestion he chose Juventus. In his first season, Gigi appeared in 34 games in the league, and played 10 games in Europe, and Juventus won Scudetto that year, Buffon’s first of ten that he won with the club. Juventus repeated success in Serie A, and reached UEFA Champions League Final against Milan, however, they lost in a penalty shootout – Buffon did manage to save two penalties, however, that wasn’t enough for his team to win the trophy. Juventus won the Scudetto again in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons, but due to the Calciopoli betting scandal, Juventus was stripped down of titles and relegated to Serie B for the 2006-2007 season.
Buffon remained with Juventus during their Serie B season, after which they returned to Serie A, but struggled to achieve success until stabilizing their finances and making their team competitive for the highest accomplishments, when they returned to the top of the Italian football. From 2011 to 2017 they won six consecutive Serie A titles, however, the UEFA Champions League trophy has eluded Gigi throughout his career, playing in the finals in 2015 and 2017, however, Juventus lost to Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Aside from contract that he had signed with Juventus, Buffon is also sponsored by Puma, which has further increased his wealth.
Buffon has been successful with Italian national squad too, winning the FIFA World Cup in 2006, in which Italy defeated France on penalties. Also, Italian team finished second at the UEFA European Championship in 2012, and won bronze medal at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013.
On the individual level, Buffon has won over 30 awards and recognitions, including UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year in 2002-2003 season, then Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Award 11 times, IFFHS Best goalkeeper of the 21st Century, and Golden Foot in 2016. Also, Gigi was made an Officer by the Italian President, receiving Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana honors.
Off the football field, Buffon has launched several business projects, including acquiring soccer club Carrarese, at one time holding 70% of the team, but now is only a minority holder. Also, he joined the board of directors of the Italian textile company Zucchi Group S.p.A, and invested $20 million in the firm. His business endeavors also increased his wealth.
Regarding his personal life, Buffon has been in a relationship with TV host and journalist Ilaria D’Amico since 2014, and the couple has one child together. Previously, he was married to Czech model Alena Šeredová from 2011 to 2014 – the two were in a relationship from 2005 and produced two children together before they divorced. Gigi was previously engaged to Vincenza Calì, who is a track and field athlete.
After Juventus’s loss in the final of the Champions League in 2003, Gigi struggled with depression, luckily, he managed to recover in time for the new season, after regularly visiting a psychologist.
Buffon is also known for his philanthropic activities; after every game he puts his captain’s armband to auction, the money from which goes to charity organizations, and has also participated in various charity soccer games, including the “Match for Peace” in 2014.
