Gianluigi Buffon sent a message to Italy fans on the 20th anniversary of his debut for the national team, saying his international career "hasn't yet finished". The Juventus star first played for the Azzurri on 29 October 1997, when he came on as a first-half substitute in the first leg of a World Cup qualifier against Russia.

An injury to first-choice goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca prompted the introduction of a 19-year-old Buffon, then playing his club football at Parma, after half an hour in driving snow, and the young substitute gave a performance beyond his years.