| Gianluigi Buffo...'s profileRoad to World Cup2006PhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
30 June 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. 29 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 29th 2006Talking about football, matches and emotions at the World Cup is so hard for me right now, it’s almost impossible. All my thoughts are with Luca Pessotto, my friend and colleague in so many battles, as well as his family, his wife Reana and his girls. Zambrotta and Del Piero went to see him in hospital, and the news they brought back, which we were all anxiously waiting, has been quite comforting. Luca now has to win the most difficult match of his career and his life. He’s a born fighter and a moment of weakness can’t cancel out the strength of a man who holds such firm principles. Pessotto was capped several times by Italy and we’ll be playing our next match against the Ukrainians for him. This has come as a big blow that won’t be easy for us to get over. The news came as a huge shock to us all, but now we have one more reason to get a good result in his honour. All the Italy players —not just those of use who know him from Juventus — were saddened by the news. Anyone who has played with or against Luca will have had the chance to get to know him and discover what a fine human being he is. Everybody loves him and everyone feels close to him at this difficult time. I also hope that our small tribute from far away will help him recover. It’s at times like this when I think it’s important to realise that there are a lot of people around who appreciate you. Pessotto knows that he can count on us now and especially later, when he’s getting his life back on track. I don’t want to say any more, because words just can’t express what I feel. Luca’s never been much of a talker himself, but what little he does say is always well worth listening to. So, come on, Luca, you can make it. We’re with you all the way. 28 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 28th 2006I’ll admit it. I didn’t have the nerve to watch the penalty and looked the other way. It was only when I heard the roar of our fans that I knew we’d scored. It’s not that I didn’t trust Francesco Totti, but more that I didn’t trust my own gut feeling — I just had a hunch he was going to miss it, because up until that point it had seemed to be one of those jinxed matches where nothing seems to go right.
We’d suffered quite a bit in the first half. We were clearly in control of the ball and I only had to intervene once, but Australia resisted and we couldn’t get the ball in their net. Then, when Materazzi was sent off early in the second half, I was gutted. Marco had played really well and I didn't think he deserved to be punished so harshly, because his tackle was not a violent one.
While we were getting over such a big blow, we were suffering quite a bit with only ten men, although my colleagues in defence played a fantastic match, leaving me with relatively little to do. One save of mine was an important one, though, when I ran out to pluck the ball from the feet of an attacking player who was receiving the ball from the right. It was a very quick move and I didn’t think twice about getting stuck in. Luckily, I managed to pull it off.
Once again we’ve seen how this Italy team gets better when it's against the ropes. I honestly believe that we deserved to go through to the next round more easily, because with eleven men we’d have created more chances than Australia, but it must be our fate or in our DNA or something for us to have to fight tooth and nail right to the very end!
I’m obviously very happy that we’ve qualified for the quarter finals, because if we’d been knocked out we would have been open to ridicule, while extra time would have been very risky indeed with only ten men. Instead we just had faith in being able to score eventually, especially Grosso, and our stubbornness paid off. Whoever wants to win the World Cup 2006 is going to have Italy to deal with first. 26 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 26th 2006This time against Australia I’m sure we’re not going to miscalculate our approach to the match like we did against the USA. It’s too important for that, from the inside as well as the outside, and we simply can’t afford to fail. I sincerely believe that the “kangaroos” are preferable to other countries we could have faced, like Brazil, who we’ve managed to avoid. I can also assure you that everything that’s been happening in Italy with all the opinion polls doesn’t bother me, because here in Germany we know that we have an extraordinary opportunity to win a World Cup within our reach, and we want to go all the way.
I’m not saying it’s going to be a walkover or anything like that. Far from it — Australia is a side that plays hard to win each match. They’re in excellent physical shape, too, and right now they’re confident of their own abilities, with their morale very high. Psychologically speaking, they don’t have a lot to lose, so they can afford to go for it. Even so, I still have every confidence in Italy and this team.
I’ve heard and read quite a few comments out there saying that we’re not playing well. Well, we may not be the best at putting on a show, but that’s just the way we are. We get stuck into to the heat of battle and what the fans want to see is their team fighting, suffering and making sacrifices in order to win. Basically, it’s hard to just have fun at a World Cup because the pressure is just so great — you need to keep your feet firmly on the ground.
I’ve always found Australia really fascinating as a country. It’s somewhere I'd like to live, because of its great spirit of freedom, which I can identify with. I don’t know if it’s because of the vast open spaces and low population, but that’s the just sensation I have.
And in spite of everything, when I think of Australia I just can’t help remembering…Korea. That’s right, how it was Guus Hiddink’s “fault” that we were knocked out of the last World Cup when he was in charge of Korea’s national team. He’s one of the best managers around, but that doesn’t mean he always has to beat us, does it? Taboos are put there in order to be broken, and I know we can do it. Gianluigi Buffon, June 26th 2006It’s been a great day, both for me and for the Italy team. I must say that I had quite a few challenging saves to make. At one point Nedved — my friend and team-mate at Juventus — said he'd had enough. He was frustrated because he’s used to the ball usually going in, while this time he kept coming up against a goalkeeper who was having a particularly good day.
As if further confirmation was needed, we’ve seen yet again that Italy rises to the occasion when the going gets tough. Our strength is the way we pull together in the most difficult situations, and that’s just what happened in the match against the Czech Republic.
I’d also like to congratulate my counterpart Cech — although he had to pick up the ball from the back of his net after Materazzi or Inzaghi’s strikes, he proved with the way he handled Totti’s powerful shot he that he’s a great goalkeeper.
So what now? For the time being we’ll just enjoy this moment of success, having ended up as the winners of our group. I think that from now on any team we come up against is going to be stiff opposition, so I don't have any particular preferences. It’d be tempting fate to claim that some opponents might be easier than others. What counts is the spirit and solidity of the Italy team this year. So far, the only player who has scored against us has been… Zaccardo, with that bad-luck own goal against the USA. And when it doesn’t happen to my colleagues in defence, I’ve proved that it can happen to me. 22 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 22nd 2006Some people say that we have to be first in our group to avoid Brazil in the quarter finals. I prefer to concentrate on the next match. And I'm very confident about facing the Czechs, which is all I’m thinking about at the moment. I think that’s the only way to deal with a World Cup — step by step, concentrating on each game without worrying about getting into calculations. Everyone expected a walkover after we beat Ghana, but instead of that we had some difficulties against the USA. That’s quite normal, and that was when the criticism started, of course.
Other than that we’ve been enjoying ourselves over the last couple of days. The pressure’s still there and it always will be, but we’re fairly used to dealing with it by now. Italy tends to show the best of itself when things get tough, and some of the incidents that have happened have helped us to become even more tight-knit as a group.
Personally, I’m not the superstitious type, although I do have my own little ritual that you may not have noticed. Before the ref blows the whistle to start the match I kiss both the goalposts. It’s mostly just a way of releasing tension, although it also helps me make contact with my goal and get a feel for its dimensions.
Of all the other teams competing at this year’s World Cup I’ve been particularly impressed with Spain, who managed to climb back when they were a goal down against Tunisia. And I know many of you are saying, “Brazil just aren’t exciting”. Well, maybe they’re just training! I’m kidding, obviously, but all I’m trying to say is that they’re a solid team who pay as much attention to what really matters as they do to putting on a show. They’re still the big favourites for this World Cup, of course, although — besides Italy — Argentina and Germany both look like strong contenders. 20 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 20th 2006We’ve reached the point where the starting whistle is about to blow to mark the start of the World Cup. First, though, I want to mention an initiative that has touched my heart, called “NineMillion”, to help all the forgotten refugee children living all over the world. It’s a project to help and maintain these children, and it is no accident that it is being promoted on such an important occasion. Football is all about enjoyment, fun and passion. These children are to be found everywhere, from Azerbaijan to Thailand and Uganda. And they need us because they need to be able to play, receive training and build themselves a future. If you’d like to know more, visit the website www.ninemillion.org. Football has never had a better opportunity to save these nine million kids, so let’s try to help this initiative all we can.
In the meantime, we’ll soon all be in Germany, in Duisburg, our base for the competition. It needs to be a place with enough peace and quiet to prepare ourselves as well as we can for our first match against Ghana. I don’t think we’ll have much free time during this period, and what little we do have we’ll be resting and, if possible, get out and about to see a bit of the town. Our manager, Lippi, wants us all very focused, but he doesn’t even need to tell us that — you find yourself in the right state of mind automatically, and any tension is transformed into positive energy and adrenaline to use on the pitch. I’m expecting we’ll get a very warm welcome from all the Italians who live and work in the area. We all hope that they and the millions whole be watching us on television in Italy end up feeling proud of us. Gianluigi Buffon, June 20th 2006It was a battle, in the sporting sense, I mean. But I think that’s all the Americans meant when they talked about a “war” — just a very hard-fought match. And that’s very much what it was, especially because the points at stake were very important. It wasn’t an easy game to understand, because there were some incidents that were deciding factors, with the own goal and red cards playing a big part in how the match —which went through several very different stages — would develop.
As for the own goal, I just want to say that the first thought of everybody, including all my team-mates on the pitch right after as it happened, was to console Zaccardo, who’s a great lad as well as a fantastic player.
His unfortunate clearance into his own goal reminded me of Cabrini’s mistake on the penalty spot in the 1982 final: a terrible shock, especially for him. But “Zac” got over the blow and in the end he played his part in us getting the draw, which may not be the best result but does at least keep us at the top end of the group with a good chance of going through to the next round. Perhaps against Ghana we fulfilled the most optimistic forecasts while against the USA we had a new situation to deal with, but, I repeat, that’s only because it was an odd match in so many respects, with all sorts of strange incidents going on.
I must admit that the day off that Lippi gave us, which I took advantage of to go for a walk around Duisburg with Alena, has definitely helped me to recharge my batteries and get prepare myself mentally for the match against the Czechs. And, by the way, it’s not going to be a family derby match — Alena will be firmly among the Italian fans. 19 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 19th 2006Call me old-fashioned, but when I heard the Italian national anthem playing before the match against Ghana I couldn’t help feeling emotional. That’s why I just can’t understand how some people, like the comedian Beppe Grillo, can consider proposing supporting the teams that we play against, even as a joke. The people’s enthusiasm, celebrating our wins in the streets, is the most beautiful thing in the world. All those fans singing made my hair stand on end and certainly got me over all the nerves I’d been feeling before our first match.
Anyway, things have gone well this week, with everyone focused, although some serious eating and relaxing has been going on too. Totti had a good laugh having a go at Gattuso, who was desperately keen to play and quite nervous…but when it mattered we were all on the same side. Against Ghana the best players were the ones who were on the bench — they never stopped spurring us on to keep our morale up through the whole match. This group has a very strong team spirit and is something that is felt by every member of the “rosa” from the first to the last.
We feel very much at home at our hotel, partly thanks to the great food. The manager of the hotel is Italian, so the chefs prepare pasta, cakes, meat dishes and salads…everything we like. Who’s the greediest player? Maybe Francesco, Totti I reckon, who’s a total chocolate freak, although he has to make do without it here because it goes against our diet.
Right now we are concentrating hard on the upcoming match against the USA. Although the Americans surprised me in their first match — not so much by losing as because they lost by such a wide margin — I don’t think we’re in for an easy match by any means. Football in America has come a long way over the last few years (if I remember correctly, they’re currently ranked fifth in the world). So we are certainly not going to underestimate the importance of this match. Lippi has taught us a lot about the character of our rivals and we won’t betray the fans expectations of us. I’m not saying we’re necessarily going to win the World Cup, but if we are knocked out it’s only going to because we come up against a team that’s even stronger than we are, not through any fault of our own. 14 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 14th 2006Our World Cup simply could not have got off to a better start. We’ve got three important points in the bag and we scored two goals without conceding - that could be really important if things are decided on goal difference in the end. It was a tough match because the Ghana players were really powerful physically and really fast when they broke on the counterattack.
Even so, I only had to make one important save because my team-mates and everyone else were fantastic. I think that the Italian national team has sent out a signal that we are a tight united unit capable of making sacrifices for one another. I’m delighted that so many fans in the stadium and even more of them watching at home were able to enjoy watching us win. Now I hope that, having got off to such a good start, in Italy we’ll start to hear more about the football being played. I’ve been a professional footballer for eleven years, I’ve given thousands of interviews and yet recently the newspapers have only been interested in questions which have nothing to do with my job. Unfortunately in Italian football we’re always looking for ways of getting people talking or even of driving some people absolutely mad with rage. It’s like a whirlpool which swallows everything up and it’s not a pretty sight. Now we can enjoy a few days off, the manager has given us a half-day to relax, then we’ll start thinking about the United States. But when you’re winning you can’t wait to get straight back out onto the pitch. 12 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 12th 2006My debut with the Italian national team – which I can remember as though it were yesterday - came in Moscow on 29th October 1997 under Cesare Maldini as manager in the World Cup qualifying game against Russia. It wasn’t just the excitement - I was also trembling because it was absolutely freezing! Just a few seconds after going on I made a difficult stop and that helped me to overcome my nerves on a psychological level.
Then when the manager called me up for the ’98 World Cup in France I felt as though I was walking on air: I was 20 years old and although I was only the third-choice goalkeeper I could feel that there was real confidence in me. During the event Peruzzi was unlucky enough to get injured but Pagliuca took over - quite rightly as he was Peruzzi’s deputy - and he did really well.
My memories of the 2002 World Cup, the first I in which played as first choice keeper, are rather bitter. Trapattoni considered me to be number 1, but I knew I couldn’t afford any slip-ups because Toldo was right behind me and in great form. We had such high hopes of a great World Cup but, for a whole host of reasons, it didn’t turn out that way. Refereeing mistakes, a few players who weren’t in tip-top physical condition, Nesta and Cannavaro ruled out of the decisive game against South Korea and a bit of bad luck: when you put all those things together that’s why we were knocked out in the second round against South Korea.
After 4 minutes I even saved a penalty taken by Ahn and after Vieri scored I thought we’d make it through to the next round. But things didn’t turn out that way, the hosts managed to turn things around and in the end we had to go home. Now I hope to have the chance to make amends for that experience which was thrilling in many ways but disappointing in others. 02 June Gianluigi Buffon, June 2nd 2006With two training sessions a day those of us in the Italian squad really don’t get a lot of free time. So whenever I can, when I’m resting in my room, I relax by listening to music and my favourites are Italian singer-songwriters. I’ve also got a videogame called Pro Evolution Soccer 5. Normally I really enjoy playing Subbuteo but that’s impossible when I’m away with the team.
I know that a lot of you would like to know who I think is the greatest goalkeeper of all time. I’d have to go for Dino Zoff, although I can’t forget other great last lines of defence such as Sepp Meier, Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. But in spite of these names, personally I was always really inspired by Tommy N’Kono, the histrionic goalkeeper who played for Cameroon a few years back. Even so, I don’t believe that to do my job you necessarily have to be rather an unusual “artist”. Other qualities such as bravery and instinct are far more important. Actually my advice to a young goalkeeper would be always to work as hard as you possibly can, because you can always learn something different at every single training session. When I was 14 years old, the contribution made by the coach at the time, Mr Fulgoni was crucial to me and then later on it was Nevio Scala, the Parma manager, who helped me. Then as well as him there have been all the other people who have stayed close to me, even at the most difficult times during my career. Well, now I’d like to thank you all. Stay with me because we’ll soon be flying off to Germany and then our World Cup will really get underway. I and my team-mates can’t wait for the 12th of June to come around as that’s the day of our first match against Ghana. The waiting before the official kick-off is the hardest part of this adventure. |
|
|
