Fabio Capello praises Gianluigi Buffon for his exceptional career and believes the defence is 'the last of Italy's problems'.
The goalkeeper celebrated the twentieth anniversary of his Serie A debut yesterday and has been on the receiving end of a long string of homages.
Fabio Capello, who coached Milan on November 19, 1995, when Buffon played his first game against them with Parma, still hasn't forgotten that day.
Fabio Capello praises Gianluigi Buffon for his exceptional career and believes the defence is 'the last of Italy's problems'.
The goalkeeper celebrated the twentieth anniversary of his Serie A debut yesterday and has been on the receiving end of a long string of homages.
Fabio Capello, who coached Milan on November 19, 1995, when Buffon played his first game against them with Parma, still hasn't forgotten that day.
“I remember that because I was the Coach of Milan,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “When Parma's lineups came to us in the changing rooms, I was surprised.
“I said: 'Boys, they're sending in the goalkeeper from the youth team'.
“After the game, I understood their decision. It ended 0-0 and Buffon rescued Parma with three extraordinary saves.
“I see Buffon as one of the top five goalkeepers of all time. I agree with the Gazzetta's list: the best of all time are [Dino] Zoff, [Ricardo] Zamora, [Lev] Jascin, [Gordon] Banks and Buffon.”
Capello was then asked about Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 16-year-old who is already starting for Milan.
“I know Diego Lopez. He's an excellent goalkeeper, an excellent professional, an excellent person. If [Coach Sinisa] Mihajlovic chose Donnarumma, he must have seen some extraordinary qualities in him.
“People like [Paolo] Maldini and [Gianni] Rivera became starters for Milan when they were 16, and that's remarkable. But this role is something different.
“The goalkeeper is a special case, but Buffon is proof that when a talent is out of the norm, it's right to take a risk.”
Finally, the 69-year-old discussed the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament in France.
“Germany and Spain are the favourites, then France. I'm intrigued by England, who have a lot of young players.
“But as always, we'll have to see about their condition in the summer. Austria and Poland could be surprising.
“As for the Azzurri, we're improving one game at a time. [Coach Antonio] Conte is working well.
“The defence is the last of the problems. It's understandable there may have been a dip in performance, but when we have Buffon along with [Giorgio] Chiellini, [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Andrea] Barzagli, we have plenty of guarantees.
“Among our young players there's some interesting material. [Federico] Bernardeschi is a genuine talent.
“I like [Domenico] Berardi. The next six or seven months could deliver a pleasant surprise to Conte.”