Want to feel old? Good. You’re in just the right place.
Gianluigi Buffon is getting on a bit. At least in footballing terms.
The legendary goalkeeper, now 40, was expected to hang up his gloves in the summer after bidding farewell to Juventus after 17 years, but opted to prolong his career with Paris Saint-Germain.
On Saturday he played for his new team against Guingamp, where there were a couple of reminders on the field of just how long he’s been playing.
One came in the form of Marcus Thuram, the Guingamp striker. Thuram is the son of former France international, Lilian, and was born in 1997 – when his father played alongside Buffon for Parma. The pair were seen embracing each other after the game, and even exchanged shirts.
1997: Marcus Thuram is born in Parma while his dad Lilian Thuram and Gianluigi Buffon were club team-mates 🇮🇹
2018: Marcus Thuram and Gianluigi Buffon swap shirts after playing against each other in Ligue 1 🇫🇷
Woah 😳 pic.twitter.com/rRm30Cf5UA
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 18, 2018
Buffon played at Parma until his switch to Juve in 2001, where he became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper. Prior to that move, his path also crossed with then-AC Milan striker George Weah on numerous occasions.
One of the most feared strikers on the planet during his time at the San Siro, the former Liberian international’s son Timothy is now playing alongside Buffon for PSG and started the game against Guingamp.
Weah Junior, whose father also played for PSG before his move to Serie A, was replaced by Kylian Mbappe at half-time.
The game ended in a 3-1 victory for the French champions. Despite trailing at half-time, they equalised through a Neymar penalty before Mbappe scored twice to make sure of the three points.
