Gianluigi Buffon vs Per Mertesacker: Stats Compared
Goalkeeper, Italy (born 1978, retired 2023) · Centre-Back, Germany (born 1984, retired 2018)
When Gianluigi Buffon and Per Mertesacker are mentioned in the same breath, opinions rarely stay quiet. They occupied different roles, which makes a like-for-like verdict a careful exercise. The raw numbers read 1 goals in 1147 outings for Gianluigi Buffon (0.00/game), versus 15 in 550 for Per Mertesacker (0.03/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 Per Mertesacker with 5. Trophy counts give Gianluigi Buffon 15 and Per Mertesacker 4, with 1× FIFA World Cup (2006) and 1× FIFA World Cup (2014) the standout honours respectively. The goalkeeper duties of Gianluigi Buffon leaned sweeper-keen; the centre-back responsibilities of Per Mertesacker leaned rugged. Their routes to the top were distinct: Gianluigi Buffon built his reputation across Parma, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Parma, peaking around 2006, while Per Mertesacker reached his defining level around 2014 after spells with Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Arsenal. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
173 words · comparison angle: role
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.”
A towering, calm German centre-back nicknamed 'BFG' by Arsenal fans, Mertesacker started every match of Germany's triumphant 2014 World Cup campaign.
“A commanding, positionally intelligent centre-back whose reading of the game compensated for a lack of raw pace.”
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)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 3× FA Cup (2014, 2015, 2017)
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
- 2001 Professional debut for Hannover 96
- 2014 Won FIFA World Cup with Arsenal
- 2014 Won FA Cup with Arsenal
- 2014 Reached the peak of his powers at Arsenal
- 2018 Retired after a final spell at Arsenal
- Finished his career with 15 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 15 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
On balance Gianluigi Buffon edges the comparison. The margin is a decisive margin, decided mostly by a weightier trophy cabinet.
Gianluigi Buffon edges it (a decisive margin)
