Gianluigi Buffon vs George Weah: Stats Compared
Goalkeeper, Italy (born 1978, retired 2023) · Striker, Liberia (born 1966, retired 2003)
Gianluigi Buffon versus George Weah is a clash of two unmistakable footballing identities. Honours are what separate great players from trophy-laden legends, and both qualify. Across his senior career Gianluigi Buffon notched 1 goals in 1147 appearances (0.00 per game), while George Weah recorded 230 in 460 (0.50 per game). Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Gianluigi Buffon is credited with 0 and George Weah with 60. In major honours Gianluigi Buffon collected 15 — headlined by 1× FIFA World Cup (2006) — whereas George Weah amassed 3, led by 2× Serie A (1996, 1999). One lifted trophies through commanding reliability, the other through flair-driven moments that decided finals. Club journeys add another layer, with Gianluigi Buffon reaching his representative peak around 2006 across Parma, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Parma and George Weah doing so around 1995 with Tonnerre Yaoundé, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, Marseille, Al Jazira. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
178 words · comparison angle: trophies
Player profiles
Italian goalkeeper and the most capped Italian player of all time; 2006 World Cup winner and ten-time Serie A champion.
“An authoritative, athletic keeper whose longevity made him the most-capped goalkeeper in history.”
The only African and Liberian ever to win the Ballon d'Or, Weah was a rare striker capable of running the length of the pitch to score, before later becoming Liberia's president.
“A powerful, quick target man with surprising close control, famous for driving solo runs the length of the field.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 10× Serie A
- 2× Coppa Italia
- 1× UEFA Cup (1999)
- 1× Ligue 1 (2019)
- 2× Serie A (1996, 1999)
- 1× Coupe de France (1991)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1995 Parma debut
- 2001 World-record keeper transfer to Juventus
- 2003 Lost the Champions League final on penalties
- 2006 World Cup winner with Italy
- 2018 Joined Paris Saint-Germain
- 2019 Returned to Juventus
- 2023 Scored a career goal for Parma in Serie B
- 1986 Professional debut for Tonnerre Yaoundé
- 1996 Won Serie A with AC Milan
- 1991 Won Coupe de France with Monaco
- 1995 Reached the peak of his powers at Paris Saint-Germain
- 2003 Retired after a final spell at Al Jazira
- Finished his career with 230 goals in 460 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 230 goals in 460 appearances and 3 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Gianluigi Buffon wins out by a clear margin on the weight of a weightier trophy cabinet.
Gianluigi Buffon edges it (a clear margin)
