Juva's Buffon matches Maldini appearance record

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has matched Paolo Maldini's record of 902 appearances at club level after being handed a rare start against Hellas Verona, reports https://www.goal.com/en/news.

The 41-year-old returned to Juve during the close season after a one-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain and has also previously represented Parma.

Unlike Maldini, who spent his entire career with Serie A rivals AC Milan, Buffon's appearances have been spread across three clubs.

He played 220 times for Parma at the start of his career, was used 25 times in a largely underwhelming campaign with PSG last time out and has now featured 657 times for Juventus.

The current season sees him gunning for a 10th Scudetto in Bianconeri in colours, with the first coming back in the 2001-2 season.

Buffon was handed his first appearance of the season for Saturday's home league clash with Verona, while Aaron Ramsey was also named in the starting line-up for the first time since joining the club.

The veteran was unable to mark the occasion with a clean sheet, as Verona took the lead in the first half.