Gigi Buffon saved everything in his career. Penalties, one-on-ones, impossible free kicks. But there is one goal that still weighs on him.
It was April 3, 2018, at Juventus Stadium in Turin. Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing the Real Madrid shirt, rose in the box and connected with a perfect bicycle kick that ended up in the Juve net.
Madrid won 0-3 that night, advanced to the semifinals and months later were crowned champions in Kyiv. Years later, Buffon opened up in an interview.
“With that goal, it was the only time in my career that I found myself completely caught off guard. It was so unlikely that Cristiano Ronaldo would attempt that bicycle kick that I did not consider it a likely play”.
“For me, the difficulty of that bicycle kick was 1000%. Only a true athlete could do that. When someone scores a goal like that against you, you do not get upset; all you can do is applaud”.
He did not even go into the goal to get the ball: he went straight over to congratulate him.