Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will make the 1,000th appearance of his professional career in Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Albania.
It will be his 168th Italy game, making him the most capped European player – above Spain’s Iker Casillas and Latvian Vitalijs Astafjevs.
He needs another 17 caps to break the 184-appearance world record of former Egypt midfielder Ahmed Hassan.
“It’s a huge pleasure,” said the 39-year-old Juventus captain.
Buffon has conceded 799 goals in his 999 games for club and country so far.
He made his professional debut for Parma in 1995 at the age of 17 and his international debut two years later. He has played 612 times for Juventus since joining them in 2001.
A World Cup winner in 2006, Buffon has previously said he plans to retire after next year’s tournament in Russia.
And he joked that he plans to go out as Zinedine Zidane did for France in the 2006 final – with a red card.
“Maybe, I’ll do a Zidane and headbutt someone on the pitch.”
Source: BBC
