Juventus’ Buffon named Best FIFA goalkeeper

Juventus veteran Gianluigi Buffon has been named the Best FIFA Goalkeeper at Monday's ceremony in London.

Buffon beat out Real Madrid's Keylor Navas and Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich to take the title, after previously being named to the FIFPro team of the season in 2006 and 2007.

The goalkeeper was rewarded for another fine season in the Juve net, as the Italians made a clean sweep of domestic honours in taking the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa trophies.

Juve also reached the final of the Champions League, where they lost out to Real Madrid.

"It's a great honour to receive this award at my age. I'm proud of it, but I want to say thanks to my club, my coach and my team-mates," Buffon said at the ceremony.

"They helped me to make it possible. I want to say thanks to all the people who voted for me.

"I think the last year was a fantastic year for Juventus. But it wasn't enough to win in Europe."

The Best FIFA Goalkeeper is a new addition to the world governing body's awards, making Buffon the inaugural holder of the title.

Iker Casillas holds the distinction, however, of being named to the FIFPro World 11 on five occasions while at Real Madrid, making him the most successful in the competition's history.
Neuer, meanwhile, had been named to the team for the last four years, putting Buffon third on the all-time list with his three appearances.

Source: Goal