Dino Zoff believes this will be “the era of Gianluigi Buffon” until the Juventus and Italy captain decides to retire.
The goalkeeper turns 40 on Sunday, the same age at which Zoff won the World Cup with the Azzurri in 1982.
“40 is 40, the same now as in 1982,” Zoff shrugged, speaking to Corriere della Sera.
“In the end there’s always 10 plus the goalkeeper and whoever scores the most goals wins.
“The details have changed, today you train better but you get more tired out so it balances.
Dino Zoff believes this will be “the era of Gianluigi Buffon” until the Juventus and Italy captain decides to retire.
The goalkeeper turns 40 on Sunday, the same age at which Zoff won the World Cup with the Azzurri in 1982.
“40 is 40, the same now as in 1982,” Zoff shrugged, speaking to Corriere della Sera.
“In the end there’s always 10 plus the goalkeeper and whoever scores the most goals wins.
“The details have changed, today you train better but you get more tired out so it balances.
“Don’t come to me and tell me it’s harder to be a goalkeeper now with the faster balls: you try catching some of those rocks [I had to catch].
“The skill of a goalkeeper is understood by this: if he lets shots in or blocks them. If they can be blocked, Buffon always does it.
“There’s nothing objective in age, it changes from athlete to athlete, from man to man. Gigi and I have always treated the body and mind like work tools, that’s why we were able to play so long.
“He’s changed his style over the years, he was able to enhance the best quality that age offered to him: first explosiveness, then experience. Only the greatest succeed in that.
“It’s impossible to rank [goalkeepers], every era has its best. Before the war there were [Gianpiero] Combi and [Ricardo] Zamora, in the 60s it was [Lev] Yashin.
“He’s the best of the last 20 years, there’s no doubt about that. Until he stops this will remain the era of Gigi Buffon.
“For me he can play for Juve for two years more if he keeps managing himself as he’s doing now, choosing his time and training in a targeted way.
“That’s always been his strength, not being satisfied and working on his personality, his mentality.
“Seeing him in tears after Sweden was a dagger to the heart. I also ended my career with the national team after defeat to Sweden, it must be destiny. He deserves a different ending to his career.
“But I also see him as potentially the man for the rebirth of Italian football. He has everything, he’s a worldwide symbol who is known and respected everywhere, even more than I was.
“Think about it, there aren’t many like him in the world. If you put his experience at the service of the system, Italian football would have more of a chance to start again.”