Materazzi: Buffon for Ballon d’Or

By Football Italia staff

Marco Materazzi claims Gianluigi Buffon should win the Ballon d’Or. “He’s still the same as at the World Cup, when you couldn’t score against him in training.”

Materazzi and Buffon formed part of the Italy team that lifted the World Cup in 2006, and the former Inter defender believes the Juventus veteran deserves to become the first goalkeeper named the world’s best player in the modern era.

“I think Juventus have more chance of winning because they’re more of a team and they have an incredible ruthlessness about them,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport, reflecting on the Bianconeri’s Champions League final against Real Madrid on June 3.

“But they mustn’t think about lost finals. The change of formation was the turning point in their season.

“It was a brilliant piece of intuition from Allegri, which will put even Cristiano Ronaldo and co. in trouble.

“Then there’s Buffon: he’s still the same as at the 2006 World Cup, when you couldn’t even score against him in training.

“I’d be happy if he won. He deserves the Ballon d’Or.

“They are two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum: solidity against fantasy and unpredictability.

“Whoever wins will tell us what the winning philosophy is now.

“But look at the defences because both teams have incredible attacking potential.

“Who will be decisive? It’s too easy to say CR7 [Ronaldo] on one hand and Higuain-Dybala on the other.

“But the goalkeepers will also prove decisive. They’ll be very busy…”

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