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July 10 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. July 07 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. July 06 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. July 04 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? June 30 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. June 29 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. June 28 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. June 26 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. June 22 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. June 20 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. June 19 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. June 14 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. June 12 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. June 02 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. May 31 Gianluigi Buffon, May 31st 2006Italy and Brazil are “my” big favourites for the forthcoming world cup. I have already said everything about Italy, but as far as Brazil are concerned, you only have to read the names of the players that make up their attacking line to see how dangerous they are. Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano and Kakà don’t give the opposition any points of reference, making it very difficult to mark them. The only problem for Brazil may be to do with balance; clearly their inclination for attack could mean greater vulnerability in defence, although they are by no means short on big names at the back…
Argentina and England are the stray landmines of the competition and I believe Spain and France to be one notch below them. Germany is a team to hold in high regard for two main reasons: at the World Cup they nearly always reach the semi-finals, and they are also the Nation organising the event, which historically has always been an advantage because of the support from the public and greater motivation for the players. Ultimately, if I had to rank the teams I fear most I would place Brazil at the top spot and Germany and Argentina immediately after on an equal level. The surprise packages? Well, precisely because they are surprises it’s difficult to make predictions. I don’t think, however, that in the World Cup there can be a revelation as big as Greece was in the European; experience and tradition have an importance which ultimately affects the final result much more than in any other “championship”. May 26 Gianluigi Buffon, May 26th 2006Now I feel free at last to concentrate on the World Cup, with nothing else cluttering up my head. I’ve sorted out some things that had to be sorted out and now I feel much better — like a weight has been lifted from me.
I’d already begun to notice the scent of the World Cup in the air when I went to Coverciano for the Italy squad meeting. It was really exciting to see all the other players and know that for the next few weeks we’re going to be experiencing this adventure together. Some of us are veterans from Korea and Japan, of course, but others are relatively new internationals and this will be their first World Cup. They all seem very calm and relaxed, though, and determined to do the best job they can.
The next few days will be based around following a strict programme of training sessions and athletics activities, plus tactics sessions that Lippi usually lets us goalkeepers take part in. Knowing how the team is going to move is important so you can predict who's likely to be doing what.
We’ll be staying here in Florence until 30 May, when we go to Switzerland to play two friendlies — one against the Swiss and one against the Ukraine. These matches will give us an opportunity to see what kind of form we're in, especially psychologically. Italy is inevitably one of the squads that start out among the favourites, together with Brazil, Germany as the home country, Argentina, England and a couple of others. The pressure is enormous, but Lippi, our coach, has worked hard on the mental aspect of things over the last few years so I think we’re well prepared. May 22 Gianluigi Buffon, May 22nd 2006It’s very soon now that the World Cup adventure will be getting under way. Just a few days holiday and I will be ready to take on this great challenge. Apart from me, Peruzzi and Amelia have been called up into the squad to look after the Italian goal. The older and the younger, two extraordinary goalkeepers. Angelo possesses much experience and is mentally very tough, he is the type of person you gladly go into ‘battle’ alongside of, because you know that he will always stand by you. With regard to Amelia, in my view he is one of the greatest talents to be found in the goalkeeping role at the moment. In addition he has already been able to collect experience to a certain extent with the Under-21 team, so is no longer a newcomer.
Our manager Lippi has taken care to put together a homogeneous side which shares his understanding of football, namely always displaying full commitment. And then it is important to have Totti recovered completely, which is finally the case, and also Inzaghi, the two both being world class players even before they became two of the most important key players in our team.
I must admit that although I have become accustomed over several years at operating at the international level, and having also been at the World Cup in Korea, I am still seized now and again by a very particular feeling. Maybe because we are now playing in Europe, maybe because I am now more experienced and not so ‘untroubled’ any longer , maybe also because this year I was out of the fight for a long time because of my accident and was therefore unable to play much, but maybe also through a great number of reasons - yet I can hardly wait to be able to run out on to the field and gauge myself against the many champions who are pitted with one another in Germany. Each game will be decisive and this idea is pumping a mighty dose of adrenalin into my veins, I wish it was the 12th June already April 04 Gianluigi Buffon, March 4th 2006I enjoyed myself a lot, and this time not on the pitch but behind the microphone for Fiorella’s radio broadcast that I took part in a few days ago. I wasn’t expecting it to go as well as it did, and the two hundred kids who followed the programme in front of us were really enthusiastic. Was this thanks to me? I’m not sure. “Fiore” is an exceptional character of course, and he put me at ease straightaway so that the show went very smoothly, shifting between jokes and more serious comments.
Comments like when I said that we can come back against Arsenal. I really believe that. There’s no point in denying that the English side is strong, and in addition they’ll be starting with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg. However, if we can manage to get an early goal then we would be back in the game, and on a psychological level this would be difficult even for Henry and his team-mates. Our minimum aim is to get the game to go into extra time, but I’m not sure... we could maybe even win it before that.
The jokes in the programme, on the other hand, were those about Cassano and Italy’s certain triumph at the World Cup. And let me make this clear: Antonio is a great player, but I would never allow myself to interfere with the selections of our coach. But you know that I wouldn’t like it if in the end, as Cassano joked, Lippi selected him and left me at home!
As far as the World Cup goes, maybe I exaggerated a bit with the 95% chance of success for Italy. Actually, Brazil and other teams are really strong, so that probability is not so big. We have a good chance, though, that’s for sure. I’m feeling optimistic, more than ever before, and I don’t want to hide it. |
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