28 May 2003 - So The Lesson Is He Who Has Seedorf, Wins

On 28 May 2003, Juventus and AC Milan needed a penalty shootout to decide the first all-Italian Champions League Final.

Played before a crowd of 63,215 at Old Trafford in Manchester, the Final was only the second one in tournament history to pair teams from the same league--Real Madrid defeated Valencia in 2000. The Serie A race had officially ended four days prior with Juventus at the top of the table. Although they finished 11 points clear of third-place Milan, the two teams had split their two league meetings, with each team winning at home, 2-1.

The Final was even closer. The only real chance came from Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko, whose early goal wasruled out because his teammate Rui Costa had blocked the view of Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon from an offside position. They completed the first 120 minutes of play deadlocked at 0-0.

The shootout took place in front of the Juventus section. After four kicks each, Milan were up 1-2, with both Buffon and Milan keeper Dida making critical saves. Juventus forward and captain Alessandro Del Piero converted his team's last kick to level the score, putting the pressure on Milan's last kicker, Shevchenko. But the Ukrainian confidently stroked the ball past Buffon for the win, 0-0 (2-3).

Coincidentally, it was the third Champions League trophy for Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who had won it in 1995 with Ajax (against Milan) and in 1998 with Real Madrid (against Juventus).

4 December 2009 - Maybe The Goalkeepers Spoke A Bit Too Soon

On 4 December 2009, Adidas introduced their controversial new match ball for the 2010 World Cup, the Jabulani.

Named after the Zulu word for "celebrate," the ball was made from eight spherically molded panels and had a textured surface designed to improve its aerodynamics. The result was unpredictable flight behavior which drew heavy criticism from several players. Goalkeepers were particularly unhappy, including Brazil's Julio Cesar, who called it a "supermarket ball," Spain's Iker Casillas, who said it was "horrible," and Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, who said it was "absolutely inadequate."

Predictably, players contracted to Adidas provided more favorable reviews, including such high-profile stars as Kaká ("just great"), Michael Ballack ("fantastic"), and Frank Lampard ("very strong").

The overall effect appeared to be a reduction in goalscoring, as the tournament had only 145 goals, the fewest of any World Cup since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1998.

28 January 1978 - Congratulations, Mrs. Buffon, He's A Keeper

On 28 January 1978, Italian superstar and 8-time Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Gianluigi Buffon was born in Carrara, Italy.

Buffon made his professional debut in 1995 for Parma, the club he had joined as a youth player. He was a key member of the club's 1999 treble-winning side, claiming that year's UEFA Cup, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana. In January 2001, he transferred to Juventus for the record goalkeeper fee of €51.5 million.

He continued his run of success for Juve, winning the Serie A title in his first two seasons and advancing to the 2003 Champions League Final, only to lose to Serie A rivals AC Milan on penalties, 0-0 (3-2). When Juventus were relegated to Serie B for the 2006-07 season after being found guilty of match-fixing, many rumors suggested that Buffon would join the exodus of players leaving the club, including Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Patrick Vieira. Buffon, however, stayed with the Old Lady and won promotion back to the top flight at the first opportunity.

Buffon debuted for Italy's senior side in 1997 and, to date, has amassed 100 caps. He had great success in the Azzurri's World Cup-winning run in 2006, conceding only one goal--a Cristian Zaccardi own goal--before the Final. Even in the Final, he did not let in any goals during the run of play, surrending only penalty kicks as Italy defeated France in a shootout, 1-1 (5-3). His performance earned him the Yashin Award as the tournament's top goalkeeper.

29 October 1997 - The Start Of A Century

On 29 October 1997, 19-year old Parma goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made his debut for the Italian national team in a 1-1 away draw with Russia in a qualifying playoff match for the 1998 World Cup.

The Azzurri qualifed after defeating Russia 1-0 in Naples on 15 November, but Buffon was an unused substitute for the Cup. He also missed Euro 2000 due to injury. Buffon secured the starting job for the 2002 World Cup, however, and remains Italy's first-choice keeper. As of 10 October 2009, he has made 99 appearances for the Azzurri.

Buffon was an integral part of Italy's World Cup winning side in 2006, giving up only two goals in regulation (an own goal in the group stages against the United States and a penalty in the Final against France). Italy defeated France on penalties, 1-1(5-3) to claim their fourth World Cup trophy. Buffon won the Yashin Award for best keeper in the tournament.

He currently plays for Juventus, with whom he signed in 2001.

[Update: As of 29 October 2011, Buffon now has 110 caps with Italy.]

18 June 2002 - Ahn Top Of The World

On 18 June 2002, World Cup co-hosts South Korea upset Italy 2-1 in a Round of 16 match before a crowd of 38,588 at South Korea's Daejeon World Cup Stadium.

With three minutes of regulation time remaining, Italy looked certain to advance, holding a 1-0 lead earned with an 18th minute goal from veteran striker Christian Vieri. In the 88th minute, however, Italian defender Christian Panucci mishandled a pass, opening the door for Korean winger Seol Ki-Hyeon, who scored the equalizer.

The late goal shocked the Azzurri and sent the match to extra time. The situation worsened for Italy in the first period of added time, as midfielder Francesco Totti received a second yellow card for an apparent dive and was sent off in the 105th minute.

As the match entered the final minutes of extra time and appeared to be headed for penalties, Korean midfielder Ahn Jung-Hwan scored a header in the 117th minute to give the Korean side the victory. The goal was redemptive for Ahn, whose penalty kick in the 5th minute was saved by Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Ahn was also the only member of the Korean side to play his club football in Italy, at the time on loan with AC Perugia. The day after the match, Perugia canceled Ahn's contract, with Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci reportedly saying "I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian football." The club quickly apologized and offered to purchase Ahn's contract, but he declined and moved to Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse.

South Korea followed their epic win with an equally-historic victory over Spain on penalties. They then lost to Germany, but finished the tournament in fourth place.