20 years ago, Gianluigi Buffon made his Serie A debut

It was exactly 20 years ago that Gianluigi Buffon - then 17 years, nine months, and 21 days old - first took the pitch in a Serie A fixture, kicking off a career that is among the most illustrious ever experienced by a 'keeper.

On that autumn day in 1995, Buffon - wearing the type of colourful shirt that was emblematic of shot-stoppers in the 1990s - stood between the posts as Parma played out a scoreless draw versus AC Milan in a top-of-the-table clash at Stadio Ennio Tardini. He produced a brilliant performance, denying the likes of Roberto Baggio and George Weah from finding the back of the net.

"He was Parma's best player," Fabio Capello, Milan's manager at the time, declared after the final whistle. "We should have won but the fact that we didn't is down to Buffon."

It should be noted that Buffon was then living in the shadow of Lorenzo Buffon, an indirect uncle who had won five Serie A titles. Furthermore, despite having generated a considerable amount of hype, Gianluigi only started the match because of an injury to Luca Bucci, Parma's then-first-choice 'keeper. Simply put, Buffon was not regarded by most people as the future of Italy's national team.

On Thursday, in conversation with Sky and Mediaset, Buffon reflected on the memorable debut, saying: "I remember every last detail of the day itself, particularly the feelings of excitement and joy I had before kickoff that completely overrode any of the nerves or tension.

"On the way to the stadium I noticed that everyone on the coach was surprised to see me there and maybe a little worried that I'd be starting the match. That's why I turned to (teammate) Alessandro Melli and said, 'I hope Milan get a penalty today so I can save it.' I knew that my performances in training in the week leading up to the Milan game would convince (Nevio) Scala to pick me."

How time flies ...