PHOTOS: PUMA Unveil New 2018 Italy Home Kit With Friday Night Launch to Honour Living Legend
Italy have launched a brand new Puma home kit for 2018, the first shirt to feature the Azzurri's newly designed badge which was officially unveiled earlier this month.
The new strip will be worn for the first time during Friday night's World Cup qualifier against Macedonia in Turin, but the launch will be a unique and very special one, though.
Italy's outfield players have elected to wear their white away kit for the game so that legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon can have the honour of wearing iconic Azzurri blue for the first time.
Image by Jamie Spencer
As a goalkeeper, it is never something the living legend has had the chance to do. But PUMA and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) were keen on rewarding Buffon, who has an Italian record 171 caps to his name, for his service to the national team over the years.
Image by Jamie Spencer
Special murals of Buffon have been painted around the world to mark the launch, from Turin, to Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Berlin.
Image by Jamie Spencer
Image by Jamie Spencer
Image by Jamie Spencer
Image by Jamie Spencer
Image by Jamie Spencer
Now 39 years of age, Buffon made his senior international debut back October 1997, a full 20 years ago. In doing so, he became Italy's youngest goalkeeper since the Second World War - a record that was only recently broken by namesake Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Buffon has been the captain of Italy since the retirement of former colleague and World Cup winning skipper Fabio Cannavaro in 2010.
