Paolo Maldini and Gianluigi Buffon are two icons of Italian football and they played together but also faced each other as fierce opponents.
Maldini needs little introduction given that he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players and defenders of all time. He spent all 25 seasons of his playing career in the Serie A with Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009a after winning 26 trophies with his beloved Rossoneri.
Buffon meanwhile is one of the best goalkeepers ever, winning 28 trophies in his career which included spells at Parma and Juventus. He actually broke Maldini’s record of 647 appearances in Serie A, as he won a record tenth top flight title with Juve. He retired in 2023 at the age of 45.
On his social media, Buffon revealed that he asked Maldini for an autograph in his youth and that he has kept that autographed photo over time. On the photo of a young Paolo was the writing: “To Gianluigi with sympathy, Paolo Maldini.”
Buffon joked remotely with his former national team teammate using the phrase: “Here’s another treasure found in the drawer of memories at home. Now I ask myself, is Paolo Maldini really your signature?”
Among the comments comes an answer from the ex-Milan captain: “Dear Gigi, I don’t want to disappoint you, but it doesn’t seem like my writing… But I was so young that perhaps I changed it over time. This time with affection, Paolo.”
Buffon has previously admitted that he speaks to Maldini, because back in 2022 he revealed what he told the then-director of Milan when he signed Mike Maignan from Lille.
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