There are two words more reassuring in football than “Gianluigi Buffon”
Since he entered the game in the 1990s, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has literally been a safe pair of hands.
Whether it’s been for Parma, for Juventus or for Paris Saint-Germain, the legendary keeper has been remarkably consistent throughout all but a few periods during his career, and has regularly put the defender in front of him at ease.
It’s because of this that it’s so strange to watch the 41-year-old make a mistake.
It’s like watching your intelligent friend look stupid, like watching your favourite television show suddenly turn bad. It’s unsettling and nobody wants to see it.
Unfortunately for those (who weren’t Manchester United fans) watching the match between PSG and Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday, there was nowhere else to look when Buffon handed United the lead in the match with the sort of horrendous mistake rarely seen in his career.
During a period in the match after they had equalised, and in which they looked by far the superior side, PSG would have been forgiven for thinking that they were the most likely to score next.
It was at this point that Marcus Rashford received the ball and, as is his wont, decided to have a go from way out.
Rashford has a certain way of striking the ball, making it dip in a way that few players can, but everyone watching would have expected Buffon to catch it.
He didn’t though. He spilled it, allowing Romelu Lukaku to score his second of the game and put Manchester United right back in the tie.
Oh no, Gigi 🙈
Buffon fails to hold Rashford's dipping shot from long range and Lukaku is there to take advantage! pic.twitter.com/ejoaOu4lJY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 6, 2019
