Eusébio vs Gianluigi Buffon: Stats Compared
Striker, Portugal (born 1942, retired 1978) · Goalkeeper, Italy (born 1978, retired 2023)
Comparing Eusébio with Gianluigi Buffon means weighing two very different kinds of greatness. Era matters in any comparison, and these two peaked under very different footballing conditions. By the end Eusébio had 623 goals from 715 caps and club outings; Gianluigi Buffon had 1 from 1147. Assists were never formally recorded across most of their eras, so the playmaking dimension has to be judged on reputation and highlights rather than hard totals. Eusébio departs the game with 9 major pieces of silverware, including 1× European Cup (1962); Gianluigi Buffon with 15, including 1× FIFA World Cup (2006). Eusébio belonged to the post-war golden age, dominating with a ruthless quality; Gianluigi Buffon rose in the turn of the millennium with a reflex-sharp edge. Context beyond the headline totals is important: Eusébio's landmark level arrived around 1965 with a career spanning Benfica, Montréal Manic; Gianluigi Buffon's came around 2006 across Parma, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Parma. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
166 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (25 January 1942 – 5 January 2014), nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" and "o Rei" ("the King"), was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and Benfica’s greatest player. Known for his speed, technique, athleticism and right-footed shot, he became one of football’s most prolific goalscorers.
“A powerful, explosive striker who combined pace, technique and a thunderous shot.”
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.”
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× European Cup (1962)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 10× Serie A
- 2× Coppa Italia
- 1× UEFA Cup (1999)
- 1× Ligue 1 (2019)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1957 Established himself at Benfica
- 1961 Reached his defining peak
- 1965 Delivered a landmark season
- 1978 Retired from professional football
- 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
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Eusébio wins out by a clear margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Eusébio edges it (a clear margin)
