Even in the darkest of times, Gianluigi Buffon has stayed true to the Old Lady.
The most celebrated goalkeeper in Italian history has either won or participated in every major European title match in his 20-year career, most coming with Juventus, the club that secured their third-ever Champions League final berth with a 1-1 draw against Madrid last month.
From winning the 1998-99 UEFA Cup with Parma to leading the Italian national team to a 2006 World Cup victory, Buffon's proven to be worth every cent of massive £32.6 transfer fee he garnered. He was also the glimmer of hope Juve needed amid the Calciopoli scandal.
Buffon was one of several league players interrogated by Italian police in May 2006. While he admitted to gambling on non-football related sporting matches, Buffon staunchly denied betting on Italian matches. Juve was relegated to Series B status and stripped of its 2005 and 2006 Series A titles. Buffon, who could have asked to be placed on the transfer market in hopes of landing on a premier squad, chose instead to stay in Turin.
Three years earlier, Buffon was sheer moments from leading Juve to the European Cup. Even a clean sheet - five regulation time shots blocked and two penalties saved - could not stop AC Milan a sixth Champions League final.
"I am missing that from the mantelpiece," Buffon recently told The Telegraph. "But in the end, I am happy not to have won it yet because I have the motivation to still play for something prestigious."
Twelve years have passed since I bianconeri last reached the final; eight more have gone by since they last hoisted the European Cup.
Then, Buffon was simply trying to make a name for himself. Now, he and Juventus - the club he's struck with through thick and thin - have an opportunity to exercise those demons.
"This is the game of our lives and it has a historical importance because it has been 12 years since that final with Milan. This final has come in an unexpected manner and, unlike back then, we are now the outsiders."
Juve's road to glory must go through Barcelona and arguable the most dangerous striking trio ever to compete in a League final.
With their Copa del Rey win over Athletic Bilbao last Saturday, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suárez set a Spanish record for most goals (120) scored by three teammates. Messi scored 58 goals, Neymar netted 38, and Suárez got 24, despite missing the first two months of the season due to suspension.
"I think they are the best team in the world. They have the three best strikers, so we'll have to work hard to give a performance which is more than perfect," Juventus forward Carlos Tévez told Italian news outlet SportsMediaset.
Tévez, for his part, is having a career year as well. The Argentina product scored 29 goals in all competitions, including a penalty goal against Real Madrid in first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Álvaro Morata, Juve's unsung hero this season, has scored four times through 11 tournament games and netted the only goal in the second leg of the semi-final. Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini solidified their status as top defenders leading the league in successful passes, the latter completing a total of 346.
Chiellini may hobble through the final, however, as he suffered a calf injury before leaving for Berlin.
And then there's Buffon, the venerable goaltender who wants more than anyone for Juventus reach the promise land. It has taken 900 career appearances for him to reach a second Champions League final. Neither scandal, nor inexperience, can keep him from the Cup this time around.
"As the captain during the week, I will say what I feel, but I hope my teammates will have something to say too to make this fight easier," Buffon said. "We are all calm, we know we did something unexpected to make the final, but we deserve to be here."
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