Like father, not quite like son: Louis Buffon bags hat-trick | OneFootball

In football, the Buffon surname is synonymous with stopping goals and is a symbol of Italian football. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon retired at 45, and now it's time for his son, Louis, to carve his own (very different) path in football.

If there was a completely opposite route to take, that's exactly what the 17-year-old boy chose. A forward, Louis was the star of the Czech Republic's Under-19 team on Wednesday.

The Czechs were playing in a qualifying game for the European Under-19 Championships to be held next year and Buffon shone with a hat-trick against Azerbaijan. All the goals from the youngster were scored in the second half as his side dispatched their opponents 6-1.

Of course, the reason for Louis Buffon's involvement for the Czech Republic is through his mother, the model Alena Šeredová.

In an interview given to the Czech Football Association (FACR), Louis explained that the decision to play for his mother's homeland was also supported by Buffon.

"I talked with my family and decided that playing for the Czech Republic would be the best option for my career and my development as a player. My mother was obviously very happy, but my father was too, because it was my first call-up to the national team."

First Steps in Italy

Louis began his career in the youth ranks of CBS Calcio and joined Pisa, a top-tier team in Italian football this season, in 2023.

The young forward made it to the first team last year, under the management of Filippo Inzaghi, the former striker who won the World Cup with Gianluigi Buffon in 2006.

This season, Louis Buffon has come off the bench in two matches but has yet to net his first senior goal. Should he manage to develop at Pisa and with the Czech Republic then he could end up flourishing for a bigger team and perhaps even with the Azzurri just like his father.