I’ve been doing a lot of internet scouring and it seems like everybody is creating a team of the decade. So, I figured I would make one of my own. But, I’ll do it by area on the pitch each day, and I’m going to award it based on a 4-4-2 system. Today will be the goalkeeper. Tomorrow will be the backline. Feel free to comment on it, and if you disagree let me know who you’d rather see at that position.

There were plenty of goalkeepers that could have taken the award, but only one could really lay claim to being the best goalkeeper of the last ten years. The guys that could have made the list were Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United, Netherlands), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain), and Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich, Germay).

But, as I said, only one goalkeeper stands above the rest. And, that man is (drum roll please), Gianluigi Buffon of Italy and Juventus. Buffon finished second in European Player of the Year voting in 2006, which is nearly unheard of from the goalkeeper position. Here are just a few of Buffon’s awards since 2000:

- Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2003
- Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
- UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year: 2003, 2006
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2006
- World Champion: 2006
- Champions League Runner-up: 2003

800px-Buffon

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