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7月10日 Gianluigi Buffon, July 10th 2006How often since I was a child I have dreamed of winning and touching that Cup! Now that we've done it I'm feeling an incredible, almost indescribable, joy. Before the World Cup, things were written about me which, quite frankly, I didn't think I deserved. Now everyone will say that I am the best goalkeeper in the world, that I'm a legend, just as Zoff became in 1982.
I have always had respect for everyone, but I knew I was skilful and capable even before, with no need for comparisons. I am Buffon and that's enough. And then, this is the triumph of the group, of the unit in which we have all always believed, beginning with our technical manager Lippi.
When did I realise that we were going to win the World Cup? To be honest, I expected it after Zidane's head butt display. I said to myself: with a bit of luck, we can do it. Better than that, in the penalties and against France, we got our revenge for Euro 2000, although I wasn't there then and so I hadn't actually ever lost against our "cousins".
I know that I'm one of the few lucky people in the world who can feel the incredible emotion that comes from something like winning a World Cup. And I want to enjoy it, to really savour it. I still can't really believe what a feat we have achieved, I'm happy for myself, for everyone who loves me, and for all the Italian fans. 7月7日 Gianluigi Buffon, July 7th 2006These are very long days leading up to the final. They're endless. Although they are useful and important for recovering spent energies, we want to be on the pitch now to play for the World Cup against France, with whom we have had some unfinished business for too long already.
Are the achievements of our "cousins" a surprise? Absolutely not, because despite having started with a few difficulties, they had the quality which sooner or later they were going to able to demonstrate. That is how it has turned out. I know a lot of them well - we are team-mates at Juventus and they have talent and character in spades. However, in these days before the game it is better not to talk to each other on the phone, with everyone in their own private worlds, seeking the best state of concentration possible.
I wasn't at Euro 2000 due to injury, but Italy's disappointment was immense and I can understand the desire for revenge of those, like Cannavaro, who lived through that painful defeat at first hand. I would prefer to avoid having to face penalties this time – it is better to win the World Cup before that eventuality. If it did happen, well, I would try not to find myself unprepared, even if studying your opponents is only useful up to a certain point since instinct becomes more important than preparation: what you have done in training can be lost in the tension, or through tiredness and so on. So you need to be ready to understand the intentions of the person taking the penalty.
What will I do after Germany 2006? I haven't thought about it at all, I only have the match on Sunday night in my head. I will definitely go on holiday, and I hope to go as... No, better not to say that word, at the moment for me it is only a fantastic dream which still has to be realised.
The tension is so great that at night it's hard work to even get to sleep. We are aware that we are facing the most important game of our lives, and we want to win it in order to take revenge after the disappointments we have had as a national team. France are very strong, compact, especially in midfield, with players like Vieira and Makelele, who are great at getting the ball back and starting up moves again.
If we manage to win the World Cup, we will dedicate it to all the people and their affection which we have won back with our character over the last month.
And finally a thought for my family – my mum and dad in particular, and my fiancée. They have stayed close to me and have shared in the ferocious and at times unjustified media attacks on me related to football, and sometimes attacks on a more personal level. 7月6日 Gianluigi Buffon, July 6th 2006When I saw the ball hit Lehmann’s posts twice, I sensed we were heading inevitably for a penalty shoot-out — especially because we were running the risk of losing the match after having dominated so much, at least during the first half and most of the rest of the match. In the end I think Grosso and Del Piero’s goals did justice to an Italy side that deserved to win and reach the final.
I know that in Italy there were spontaneous street parties to celebrate our win, and that’s only to be expected, really. Our football has been going through a grim period with fans losing faith, and it’s great for them to express their joy this way. As players, we have to celebrate a bit differently. Although we did get to savour this win against Germany for a few hours, we soon had to get down to preparing for the last act of this fantastic World Cup.
What do I hope to find when I get there? Well, with opposition that’s as tired as possible, hopefully, because by this stage a team’s physical and psychological resources count for just as much as technical factors. Our group has demonstrated that we have what it takes to make it right to the very end, despite the criticism we’ve received. But right now I’m too happy to worry about that because it would just make me angry.
By the way, I’m not saying I haven’t been thinking about Juventus and all the problems the club is going through. We’ve been getting some very serious, negative news from Italy, but with our semi-final match at stake, I simply couldn’t afford to let all that be foremost in my thoughts. It wasn’t far behind, though. 7月4日 Gianluigi Buffon, July 4th 2006It’s just as well I hit the goalpost — with my head — while my team-mates didn’t let us down and were bang on target scoring goals. The Ukraine game was a strange match in many respects, because we were clearly in control for the whole first half but then nearly ruined it all in the second half. When I managed to get my hands on the ball just a couple of inches from the white line and then hit the post, I knew we had done it. We’re a team that it’s very difficult to score against —so difficult, in fact, much so that so far nobody has managed it, apart from Zaccardo, that is (that’s a joke). Could that be down to me? Well, it’s something that's nice to hear, obviously, but the truth is that everybody has played a big part in the achievement.
You may have seen at the end of the match how we dedicated our win to Gianluca Pessotto, in the hope that he’ll soon recover and be back among the people who appreciate him so much. We hope he got to see the flag that we held up for him.
And now Germany are waiting for us. Do you remember? When the World Cup started I said they were going to be a force to be reckoned with, although at the time few other people thought they were in with much of a chance. But as things have turned out I’ve been proved right (even though Argentina certainly deserved to reach the semi-finals). So let's forget what happened in that friendly a few weeks ago and look at this match as our big chance: if we win, we’ll have beaten the host nation, and otherwise — although I prefer not to think about it too much — we’ll be one of the four best countries in the world, at worst.
I’m sure the match in Dortmund will also mean we’ll get to hear some more of the negative comments about us that a minority among the German media have been making. I bet they’re charging their batteries even as I write this. Well, let’s just wait and see, shall we? 6月30日 Gianluigi Buffon, June 30th 2006Besides training, we’ve been trying to relax over the last couple of days — partly to relieve the tension before the quarter-final match against Ukraine and partly to get over our sadness after what happened to Pessotto. Some people, like me, have been listening to music (especially Italian music), while others, like Pippo Inzaghi, have been fishing in the lake next to our hotel or playing pool and table-tennis. Right now, though, we’re concentrating on the game.
On paper, we’re clearly the favourites, but we’ll have to consolidate our play on the pitch. It was very satisfying to me to get praise from such a giant figure as Platini, but I don’t think our only strength is our defence. It may sound like an obvious thing to say, but defending begins with the attacking players and passes via the midfielders — everyone has to pull together to make the team solid and leakproof. One of my favourite opponents will be playing for Ukraine — Shevchenko. We’ve faced each other before many times in league matches and cup competitions. For a goalkeeper he’s one of the most dangerous strikers of all, because as well as his obvious class, he’s very quick and unpredictable — you never can tell where the ball is going to come at you from. He also shoots with both feet equally accurately. Anyway, I hope that the match can be resolved without having to go as far as…you know what. I’m not at all keen on going through what happened in the past again or what happened in the Champions League! In any case, I’m an optimist and have great faith in our chances. I don't think Italy will get caught out by surprise and we'll play a good game, I reckon. What about the showmanship? Well, I don’t really think any other teams have placed more brilliantly than we have, to be quite honest. And what counts more than anything is the result.
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