Buffon named his son after a Spanish legend

that Tommy N’Konoliving legend of RCD Espanyolis the childhood idol of Gianluigi Buffonanother legend of goalkeeping, is not new. What is less known is that the Italian, who retired in August 2023, named his first son, Louis Thomasin honor of the Cameroonian, considered by many to be Africa’s best goalkeeper of all time.

Buffon46 years old, recalled this in an interview he gave to ‘Corriere della Sera‘ on the occasion of the publication of his autobiography, ‘Fall, rise, fall, rise’. “I had no idea that ’88’, which is my number, evokes ‘Heil Hitler’. To me, it just means having four balls. I’m not a fascist. And much less a racist. I named the my first son Louis Thomas in honor of my childhood idol, Thomas N’Kono” explained the first Parma, Juventus Turin and Paris Saint-Germain.

“I was the only European who went to Cameroon for his farewell match. It was a great memory,” he continued. Buffoncurrent head of delegation of the Italian national team. N’Konogoalkeeping coach spanish for two decades and with representative and institutional roles since the beginning of the year, changed the career of ‘Gigi’. “He was a midfielder and, as a result of seeing me with the Cameroon team in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, he changed his position. I was lucky that he came to my tribute match and now we maintain a great friendship ,” admitted. the former footballer on the microphone of ‘RAC1‘, in 2021.

N’Kono He is also one of the great supporters of the current guardian of the Spanish arch, Joan Garcia. “If he doesn’t make a mistake, I see him as a full international in Spain,” he predicted. tommy in April 2024. Since then, the Sallent angel has won Olympic gold in Paris; settled, at 23 years old, in the First Division and included in the pre-list of the absolute Spanish team for the matches against Denmark and Serbiain October.