Gianluigi Buffon has had a great career and has consistently been responsible for preventing goals. Now the 45-year-old is making a suggestion that would make life more difficult for many of his fellow goalkeepers
The world is changing, including the world of soccer. In recent years in particular, there have been major changes that have had a major impact on the game. VAR is perhaps the best-known example, but levers such as offside, handball, double penalties for penalties and the return to the goalkeeper are all things that have been reformed.
Gianluigi Buffon, who ended his incredible career in the summer, is now even in favor of changing not only the rules, but also one of the core elements of soccer itself: the goal, which has always remained the same size (7.32 m wide and 2.44 m high). “We could talk about enlarging the goals,” said the Italian in an interview with “Tuttosport” and then also explained why he thinks this is a good thing
Gate dimensions have been the same since 1875
“The dimensions of the gates have been the same since 1875 – back then they were perhaps too big, then they were just right for 50 to 60 years.” Nowadays, however, this is no longer the case, “if you look at how some goalkeepers and players look”. Buffon, who is 1.95 meters tall, pointed out that he was “one of the five tallest players in Serie A” as a 17-year-old in 1998. “Last year at Parma, I was also one of the five tallest, but one of 22 players on the pitch.”
Especially in the goalkeeper position, physical size brings advantages, which according to Buffon can also be easily seen in the statistics – namely with long-range shots: “30 years ago, ten out of 50 shots landed in the net, nowadays it’s maybe three. It has become very difficult to score against two-meter goalkeepers.”
However, Buffon also emphasized that it is not up to him to change such things, as there are appropriate committees and bodies for this. It is also the case that outfield players have also improved in many aspects. “They’ve become faster and more unpredictable – and they shoot harder,” said the Italian: “The players’ technique has also improved. “
