Rome: Goalkeeping icons Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon will renew a rivalry going back almost two decades when Porto host Juventus in today’s Champions League last 16.
Age is just another number for Spaniard Casillas, 35, and 39-year-old Italian nemesis Buffon. Between them they have 334 caps, 275 Champions League matches, 12 league titles, two World Cups, two European championships, three Champions Leagues, a Uefa Cup and a combined age of 74.
The clash at Porto’s Dragon Stadium will be the 17th in their storied careers.
Before kickoff the sparring between the pair had already begun on Twitter.
“What do you think about it? For me, you’re the best,” wrote Casillas of a Uefa poll on the world’s leading goalkeepers. “I’m not choosing. We’re the best,” replied Buffon.
In fact, both were the peerless in the early 2000s and Buffon remains without a doubt the top goalkeeper in Italy.
Last season was one of the most brilliant of his career. Two uncharacteristic slips at the start of this season – against Lyon with Juventus and Spain with the national side – were quickly overshadowed by several top class performances.
His mind remains sharp and his hands as hard as the marble of his hometown Carrara.