It’s another step in his path to glory. This morning, Gigi Buffon was added to Italian sports’ Walk of Fame. It is the street dotted with stars that runs from Viale delle Olimpiadi to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The 2006 World Champion, Italy’s most-capped player (176) and current head of Italy’s delegation now has his own commemorative tile, given to him on 14 April by the CONI National Council for ‘his contribution to the Italy team that won the football World Cup in 2006.

After receiving the prestigious recognition, he stated “I still need to keep my feet on the ground and ensure to not take myself too seriously. These are great awards as I have said, but I don’t feel that special. I only played the sport because it was what I liked to do. I had fun and I was paid for it and now I get prizes because people think I deserve it, so I am happy.”

The ex-Azzurri goalkeeper and captain will be the eleventh footballer to become part of the ‘Walk of Fame’. He will be in true world-class company, alongside Giuseppe Meazza, Silvio Piola, Valentino Mazzola, Dino Zoff, Gianni Rivera, Gigi Riva, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Paolo Rossi and Fabio Cannavaro.

He stated, “Perhaps the secret of a long career like mine was never feeling the pressure or the struggle of the responsibility, and sometimes you could even see this. If there is any way to stay for a long time in sport, this may be the right way”. He doesn’t like being considered an idol: “I don’t feel like one, when you meet your idols, you are always disappointed. I prefer to be a role model in sport and as a goalkeeper. Idolising people often brings harm to that person”. 

Other than Buffon, there will be others joining the Walk of Fame on 22 May: Giorgio Di Centa, a 50 km cross-country skiing Olympic champion at Torino 2006; the water-polo players Franca and Pino Porzio, Olympic champions with Settebello at Barcelona 1992; the fencers Elisa Di Francisca, Olympic champion in individual and team foil at London 2012, and Aldo Montano, gold medalist in sabre at Athens 2004; Gerda Weissensteiner, Olympic champion in the luge at Lillehammer 1994 and bronze-medalist in two-woman bobsleigh at Torino 2006; finally, the volleyball player Francesca Piccinini, 2002 World Champion.