Gianluigi Donnarumma served as a ball-boy during his time in AC Milan's youth sector. Whenever Juventus rocked up at San Siro, he would stand behind Gianluigi Buffon's goal and study the Bianconeri goalkeeper's every movement.
By the age of 16, though, he was lining up against his idol in Turin. At 17, meanwhile, he was coming on for Buffon to make his Italy debut. Comparisons between the two were, thus, inevitable. But also justified. They didn't just share a first name, after all; they also shared the same prodigious physical and mental attributes. In fact, Buffon even felt that Donnarumma was the more mature of the two at the same age.
"I was completely different!" the veteran admitted in 2016. "He's a great lad, very calm, thoughtful, intelligent and has extraordinary qualities. He has everything to make history in the role. We'll just have to wait 20 years to make conclusions."
While we still have more than a decade to go, it's safe to say that Donnarumma hasn't yet attained his mentor's remarkable level of consistency. However, the Paris Saint-Germain No.1 is proving in this season's Champions League that he still has the requisite talent and temperament to emulate Buffon by becoming the greatest goalkeeper of his generation...
