The brilliance of Gigi Buffon has been discussed at length, with the Juventus goalkeeper rightly regarded as one of the best to ever stand between the posts. As he celebrated his 40th birthday last weekend, countless figures from around the world paid tribute to his quality (you can read some of their comments here) and almost all mentioned his character and spirit as well as his ability on the pitch.
With all of that in mind – not to mention that Buffon has now played more minutes for Juventus and won more caps for the Italian national team than any player in history – replacing him is going to be almost impossible. At club level, Wojciech Szczęsny has stepped up during a recent injury to prove he is ready to take over as the Bianconeri number one, but when the team was drawing at halftime with Chievo on Saturday, the captain’s leadership came to the fore.
Gonzalo Higuain had been booked in the opening 45 minutes for complaining to the referee, his frustration growing as chances failed to come his way. Without a goal since December 1, the Argentinian needed a calming influence, and it was Buffon who put an arm around his shoulder as the players headed to the dressing room. After the break, Juve scored twice with Higuain netting the crucial second goal. Panic over, thanks in no small part to the leadership skills of the skipper.
For quite some time now, Gianluigi Donnarumma of AC Milan has been touted as Buffon’s successor for the national team, and it’s easy to see why. Still only 18 years old, the 6ft 5” (1.96m) stopper has made a huge impact since breaking into the first team at San Siro, pulling off some incredible saves and looking every inch like a future great.
Much like Buffon, he was handed his debut at a very young age and showed that was the right decision, now looking wholly irreplaceable for the Rossoneri. Indeed, despite Milan spending almost €250 million this past summer, there is a case to be made that Donnarumma remains their most important player, the one member of Gennaro Gattuso’s squad with the talent to be the best in the world.
Yet he also remains young and relatively inexperienced, still prone to making mistakes that older goalkeepers have learned to avoid. Take Milan’s meeting with Cagliari earlier this month where Nicolò Barella beat Donnarumma with a fairly tame curling effort from the edge of the box, allowing the ball to bounce after starting in a poor position far too close to his near post.
None of this is said to cast doubt upon his clearly immense potential, the youngster – who has made just 90 Serie A appearances – clearly possessing all the tools to become a genuine star in the future. But Buffon has already retired from international football and Italy have a game to play in March, facing Argentina in Manchester as they look to bounce back from failure to qualify for the World Cup.
As such, the Azzurri are not in a position to wait for Donnarumma and need a goalkeeper who is ready to play – and do so error free – immediately. There is little doubt that Genoa’s Mattia Perin can do so and, while his performances do not garner the same attention as those of a Mino Raiola client playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs, he has consistently shown his ability on the pitch over the last six seasons.
Perin joined Genoa’s academy back in 2008, making his first-team debut three years later. He was then sent on loan to Padova in the second tier, then spent the 2012/13 campaign in the top flight with Pescara. Returning to Genoa the following summer, he has been their first choice ever since, now boasting over 160 Serie A appearances – plus that year in Serie B where he was named goalkeeper of the season – and gaining a vast amount of experience along the way.
His positioning and footwork are vastly superior to Donnarumma’s as, standing three inches shorter, Perin can ill afford to find himself in the wrong place, lacking the height and reach to make up for such an error as the Milan man so often can. The Genoa no.1 has also learned to cope with set backs, shrugging off goals he concedes and concentrating on the next save he is required to make.
The Grifone currently sit in 15th place while Milan are seventh, a fact which would go some way towards explaining why Perin has made 82 saves to Donnarumma’s 57 after 22 appearances each. However, the Genoa captain has kept eight clean sheets, two more than his compatriot, proving that even in a much less talented team he can deliver shutouts because he so rarely makes a mistake.
In doing so he has won many admirers, with World Cup-winning goalkeeper Dino Zoff arguably chief among them. “I consider him to be the best Italian in his role and that’s not just at club level, but also for the Nazionale,” the legendary stopper told Italian newspaper Il Mattino earlier this month. “Perin is hot property on the market because he really represents the Italian school of goalkeeping. He is a classic Number 1 who keeps out goals and has good passing technique too.”
Napoli seem intent on making his their long-term replacement for Pepe Reina in the summer while some of Serie A’s other big clubs have also made overtures. Yet it is Italy who should be looking at him most closely, because Mattia Perin is the man to replace Gianluigi Buffon. It’s an impossible task, but he’s more ready for it than anyone else.
