On 19 November 1995, Gigi Buffon made his debut for Parma. Now, back at Parma once again, the timeless stopper is set to celebrate the 26th anniversary of that occasion, and the club and technical sponsor Errea have created a special anniversary jersey in honour of the achievement, which Buffon will wear when his side take on Cosenza on Sunday 21 November 2021.
As well as being a world champion Rock, Paper, Scissors player, turns out Gianluigi Buffon is not a bad keeper either. 26 years ago, a 17-year-old Buffon made his Serie A debut for Parma and kept a clean sheet as the Crociati drew 0-0 with Capello’s AC Milan. And so began a legend, with the eventual World Cup winner going on to enjoy a stellar career that currently shows no signs of stopping. For the anniversary of his debut, Parma Calcio 1913 and Errea Sport decided to pay tribute to the goalkeeper through the creation of a commemorative shirt, giving the jersey worn by him in that match against AC Milan back on 19 November 1995 a modern twist.
While based on the original from 1995, this new shirt design sees certain shifts. First and most notably the graphic that dominated the lower front and back of the OG is missing, replaced instead by a block red imprint on the front that fades into the white as it rises. The same colour layout is used throughout, so you still have red stripes on a white background on the shoulders, from which a black panel runs to the middle. The number '12' that Buffon wore all those years ago is switched out for his current number '1'. Obvs.
The collar, meanwhile, is an unusual shape – a combination of a round neck design and one which is typically used for polo shirts, and it features a ”1995-2021" inscription, acknowledging the 26 years of Buffon’s playing career. The jersey comes in a special box, inspired by the jersey itself, containing the jersey as well as a signed picture of Buffon in the 1995/96 season wearing the iconic debut jersey.
Pick up the Parma Calcio Buffon Anniversary Jersey at shop.parmacalcio1913.com
