His year away from Turin delayed the inevitability but Gianluigi Buffon did it. With his 649th Serie A appearance, he overtook AC Milan legend, Paolo Maldini.
The feat makes him the most capped player in Italian top flight football. And it was kind of not supposed to be, Buffon went to Paris Saint Germain to finish his career. But the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo turned his head.
Buffon is a true servant of Juventus and has seen career ups and downs with the Old Lady. From relegation and Calciopoli scandal, to eight successive Serie A successes, only the Champions League is missing from his trophy cabinet.
While Buffon holds the record in Serie A, who are the culprits in Europe’s top leagues.
Bundesliga
Karl-Heinz Korbel better known as Charly has the record for most appearances Bundesliga with 602. Charly was the epitome of consistency, as he enjoyed a 19-year stint with Eintracht Frankfurt, the club’s whose youth academy he graduated from.
La Liga
Rarely do we have a player be the heartthrob at two clubs, let alone three. Andoni Zubizarreta has that honor. Zubizarretais equally beloved at Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona and Valencia. The goalkeeper made 622 La Liga appearances with Raul, the next man on the list making 550 attendances.
Premier League
Gareth Barry has appeared 653 times for Aston Villa, Everton, Manchester City and West Brom. Barry is still active and if West Brom get promoted, he can further make his record untouchable.
