Gianluigi Buffon retired in 2023. Now his son Louis has played his first professional game. Unlike the Italian goalkeeping legend, his son plays in attack - and for a different nation.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Louis Buffon, the son of former top goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, has had his baptism of fire in the professional game. On Sunday, the 17-year-old made his Serie B debut for AC Pisa.
- The winger could soon also play his first international match. He has been called up for the Czech U18 national team.
- Louis Buffon's mother is the Czech ex-model Alena Šeredová.
In the Serie B match between Spezia and Pisa (3:2) on Sunday, a big name was substituted shortly before the end: Buffon comes into the game. However, it was not the former top goalkeeper Gianluigi - he ended his impressive career in 2023 at the proud age of 45 - but his son Louis. It is the 17-year-old's very first professional outing.
And it could have been the start of a great career. The winger recently received his first call-up for the U18 national team. Not from Italy, however, but from the Czech Republic. Louis Buffon is a dual citizen, his mother is the Czech ex-model Alena Šeredová.
However, Gianluigi Buffon, the Italian national team's record international player with 176 appearances, is not disappointed. Quite the opposite. "With the Azzurri, the burden of the surname would have crushed him. The expectations would have been huge straight away. Now he will be able to take things in his stride," the goalkeeping legend recently told the newspaper "La Repubblica".
No definitive decision
"When he's old enough, nothing will stop him from choosing Italy," continued the 47-year-old Azzurri team coordinator. After all, his son is about to make his first appearance for the junior national team. As long as he doesn't play in a competitive match for the Czech Republic's senior national team, Buffon junior can still play for Italy later on.
But there is still a long way to go. For now, Louis Buffon wants to force his way into further professional appearances with AC Pisa. He normally plays for the Tuscans' U19s in Italy's second-highest youth league, where he has scored six goals in 20 games this season.
