Sweden goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson is excited to meet his “idol” Gigi Buffon in tonight’s World Cup play-off. “We even share the same birthday.”
The first leg of the showdown kicks off in Solna tonight at 19.45 GMT, with the decider in Milan on Monday.
“Italy seem very confident that this will be easy and we can take advantage of that. It gives us even more motivation and it will be fun,” the Guingamp shot-stopper told Expressen.
Sweden goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson is excited to meet his “idol” Gigi Buffon in tonight’s World Cup play-off. “We even share the same birthday.”
The first leg of the showdown kicks off in Solna tonight at 19.45 GMT, with the decider in Milan on Monday.
“Italy seem very confident that this will be easy and we can take advantage of that. It gives us even more motivation and it will be fun,” the Guingamp shot-stopper told Expressen.
“We know that we are strong and I don’t think it’s a disadvantage for us if Italy keep most of the possession. If we play it the right way, we won’t have problems.
“Buffon has been my favourite goalkeeper since I started my playing career. We even share the same birthday, January 28, so it’ll be fun to meet him.
“I’ll try to swap shirts with him after the match. I’m going to face a lot of competition from my teammates for that jersey, while Buffon might even want to keep it!
“Clearly, when you watch Buffon play in Serie A and the Champions League, you try to learn as much as you can. He is 39 years old and the fact he still performs so well is remarkable. He’s an idol for me.”