Buffon a better goalkeeper than Casillas, say Goal.com readers

Jul 2, 2012 1:10:00 PM

54.05 per cent feel the Italy stopper is superior to his Spanish counterpart despite the Real Madrid man leading his side to victory over the Azzurri in Euro 2012 final on Sunday

Goal.com readers believe Italy's Gianluigi Buffon is a better goalkeeper than Spain's Iker Casilllas.

In a recent poll, 54.05 per cent felt the Juventus man has the edge, despite being on the losing side in the Euro 2012 final, where he conceded four goals in the process.

Buffon became the most expensive custodian in history when he moved to the Bianconeri in 2001 from Parma for a reported €40 million, and has since won five Serie A titles, albeit two were revoked following the Calciopoli scandal.

The 34-year-old has been renowned for his leadership and organisational skills rather than his shot stopping. However, his save from Ashley Cole in the penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 helped put the Azzurri through to the last four of competition.

He again put in another solid performance against Germany in the semi-finals - only being beaten by a 92nd-minute Mesut Ozil penalty to see his side advance to the tournament showdown which proved to be a step too far for Buffon and Italy.

Despite coming out on top in the encounter on Sunday, the majority of readers believe Casilllas is inferior to his Italian counterpart.

The Real Madrid stopper captained La Roja to victory over the Italians at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev to claim their second European Championship.

Casillas was in top form during the game, making a crucial stop to deny Antonio Di Natale from allowing Cesare Prandelli’s side to get back into the game with the score at 2-0.

It was the third time in four years that the 31-year-old lifted a major international trophy after leading the Spaniards to victory at Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010.

It also capped off a good year for him following Real Madrid’s title-winning season, where they won La Liga for the first time since 2008.

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