Lorenzo Buffon is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers to have come from Italy. In a career that spanned over 17 years, he played for 6 clubs, most notably AC Milan. Interestingly, the Italian had also played for their arch rivals Inter.
The Italian was an athletic yet reliable goalkeeper, who was particularly praised for his positional sense, handling, and efficient goalkeeping style. These attributes helped him make magnificent saves throughout his career, which gave him the nickname Lorenzo il Magnifico.
A slight shortcoming in his game was the Italian's inability to come off his line to properly collect crosses, and he was better between the posts. Throughout his career, Buffon was occasionally criticised as well for being inconsistent, and for his mindset that often let him down in certain games.
However, the general consensus was that the Italian was truly a solid and world-class player in his position, with only a select few being better than him during the 1950's footballing era.
Early career and unforgettable Milan run
Born in Majano, in the province of Udine, Buffon began his football career with Italian side Portogruaro in 1948. This was followed by his move to AC Milan in 1949, where he made his Serie A debut on 15th January 1950. Buffon managed to keep a clean sheet on his debut, as the Rossoneri beat Sampdoria 1-0. This was just the beginning of a legendary chapter, as the Italian went on to make 277 appearances.
Buffon's majestic run with Milan saw him become one of the world's best goalkeepers at the time, as he won four Serie A titles, and two Latin Cups. He also maintained his position as Milan's starting goalkeeper despite huge competition from fellow teammate Narciso Soldan.
Despite Buffon's best efforts, he and his teammates failed to achieve European glory at the time. Milan reached the final of the 1957–58 European Cup, and the semi-finals of the 1955–56 European Cup, where the Italian club was defeated by eventual champions Real Madrid on both occasions.
Milan's legendary keeper eventually left the club in 1959, after spending a magical 10 years with them.
Post-Milan career and retirement
Upon leaving Milan, Buffon joined Genoa for a season in 1959. This was followed by a surprising move to Inter Milan, the biggest rivals of his former club AC Milan. Coincidentally, Buffon joined as a replacement for his apparent rival at the time Giorgio Ghezzi, who ironically instead joined Buffon's former club Milan in 1959.
Buffon added yet another Serie A title to his collection with Inter, Managed by their legendary coach Helenio Herrera who later guided them to greater domestic and European successes in later years. The Italian also managed to reach the semi-finals of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup with Inter. In total, Buffon won 5 Serie A titles in his career.
After spending a season with Fiorentina, making only a single appearance in the league, he retired after a season with Italian club Ivrea in 1965. Thus, the magical story of one of Italy's greatest ever keepers came to an end.
International stint and legacy
Buffon earned a total of 15 caps for the national side between 1958 and 1962, with the Italian representing his country for the 1962 FIFA World Cup.
For all those who were wondering if this player is related to a certain Italian goalkeeper, that answer to that is yes. He is related to former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, as Lorenzo is the second cousin of Gianluigi's grandfather. The legacy was undoubtedly continued in the most special way, and the Buffon's of Italy will forever be remembered in the history books of football.
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