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MANGARATIBA, Brazil - A hard rain was falling when Gianluigi Buffon paused for a moment during an Italy training session Tuesday. Air Force 1 Store . Leaning forward with both hands on his knees, Buffon appeared to be resting or somehow trying to withstand the rain. Or perhaps the 36-year-old goalkeeper and Italy captain was reflecting on this: He is only the third player in history to be part of five World Cup squads, along with Germany great Lothar Matthaus and former Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal. Buffon first went to the World Cup back in 1998, although he didnt play a second-choice option behind Gianluca Pagliuca. He then took over the starting position from 2002 onward. "A fifth World Cup is a nice milestone but that doesnt mean Im satisfied," Buffon said before departing for Brazil. "Both individually and as a squad were preparing to surprise people." Buffon, of course, doesnt need to prove anything at this point in his career. He was one of the driving forces behind Italys run to the 2006 World Cup title, when he didnt concede a single goal to opponents during normal play over the course of seven matches — letting in only an own goal from Cristian Zaccardo and a penalty from Zinedine Zidane in the final won over France. He helped Parma to the UEFA Cup title way back in 1999 and has since won five Serie A titles with Juventus — including the last three. "As the years go by, Gigi still has the same amount of desire," said midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who plays with Buffon with both Italy and Juventus. "Hes a great professional, a great friend, and a top-level player. Hes a player who is able to give his all in every moment and always offer the right words of encouragement. "There are players here who are at their first big tournament and hes always there offering the right words of advice," Marchisio added Tuesday. Now that Buffon is setting records for longevity, its worth remembering what an early start he had. Born to members of Italys national teams in athletics (his mother) and weightlifting (father), Buffons distant relative Lorenzo Buffon was also Italys goalkeeper in the 1950s. Having played in midfield as a kid, Buffon decided he wanted to be a goalkeeper after seeing Thomas NKono defend Cameroons goal during the 1990 World Cup in Italy — when Buffon was 12 — and years later Buffon named his first son Louis Thomas after NKono. In 1991 when Buffon was just 13, Parma purchased his rights and put him in their youth system. At 17, Buffon made his Serie A debut with Parma, keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against AC Milan. At 19, Buffon made a memorable Italy debut on a snowy pitch in Moscow during a playoff with Russia for a spot in the 1998 World Cup. Coming off a frigid bench as an injury replacement for Pagliuca, Buffon first raised eyebrows by wearing shorts in the arctic-like conditions then made a series of impressive saves in a 1-1 draw. Fast forward to 2006, when Buffon was one of the few key players to stay with Juventus when the Turin club was relegated to Serie B due to a match-fixing scandal — meaning that a month after guiding Italy to the World Cup title, he was playing in small second-division stadiums. Then at the 2010 World Cup, Buffon struggled with back pain. He played only a portion of Italys opening match and the Azzurri were promptly eliminated after the first round. But he was back in place to help Italy reach the final of the 2012 European Championship. And last October, Buffon surpassed Fabio Cannavaro with an Italy-record 137th appearance. So how does Buffon keep going? "Motivation is the key," he said in a recent interview with Italian daily La Repubblica. "Reflexes diminish. At my age you dont improve anymore, so its better to reduce training and take better care of injury prevention, nutrition and gym work." Buffon has often recounted how he fell into depression about 10 years ago, then resuscitated himself by turning to literature. He has also been the subject of a couple betting scandals. In 2011, he married Czech model Alena Seredova but Buffon announced last month when Italy gathered to begin training that they had separated. In announcing their split, Buffon thanked Seredova publicly for not making things too difficult for him, and said that he hopes she will bring their two boys to watch him play in Brazil. Whether Seredova and the boys come is yet to be seen. Either way, Buffon has already inscribed his name in the World Cup record books. And who knows, maybe Buffon will continue playing and go back to Russia and the site of his Italy debut for the 2018 World Cup, when hell be 40 — the same age that one of his idols, Dino Zoff, was when he helped Italy to the 1982 World Cup title. "Ill keep playing as long as I dont become a reserve," Buffon said. "Once the day comes that I get benched, thats when Ill hang my boots up." ___ Follow Andrew Dampf at http://twitter.com/asdampf Air Force 1 Wholesale .com) - Whew! North Dakota States reign as the three-time FCS national champion was pushed to the limit by South Dakota State on Saturday, but freshman R. Air Force 1 For Sale .S. womens soccer team to a 2-0 win over China in Colorado in the afternoon. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/ . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat.Aitor Karanka has revealed Jose Mourinhos tutelage at Real Madrid was decisive in his transition from coaching to management. After a trophy-laden playing career at the Bernabeu, the Middlesbrough boss returned to the Spanish capital in 2010 to take up the role of Mourinhos assistant.Having been nurtured by the Portuguese early on, Karanka would go on to play a crucial role in Reals title-winning campaign in 2011/12, to date their last La Liga triumph. And, in an exclusive interview with Guillem Balague, Karanka revealed Mourinhos honest, and at times volatile, approach presented opportunities that convinced him to take the step into the dug-out.With Jose you learn every single second. From the first minute he was always teaching me, the Boro boss told Sky Sports.Since I arrived with him he was really supportive with me and he told me that I was going to be one of them. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. One of his best traits is that he is honest and, for me, that is the main thing because as a coach you have to be honest.Sometimes in my career, managers would tell you something to keep the peace but with time you would realise their explanation wasnt the right one. Aitor Karanka spent three seasons working under Mourinho at Madrid. Now some players leave my office thinking that Im not a nice person but a few weeks later they know I told them the truth. Its difficult but you have to be honest.When I arrived I didnt have experience of working with kids in Spain but I did in my first season with Real Madrid.In the second season I started to hold more training sessions and in three years I did a load of press conferences too. R Madrid vs Leganes November 6, 2016, 10:55am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Jose was sent off for a few games which meant I even had to manage the team, so I learnt a lot of things. Air Force 1 Fake. After those three years, I felt that I was ready to start my career alone.Karanka won seven major honours in fives season at Real as a player, including three Champions Leagues triumphs.The Spaniard has been able to bring some success to Middlesbrough during his three years on Teesside, ending the clubs seven-year exodus from the Premier League. Aitor Karanka led Middlesbrough to promotion from the Championship last season. And Karanka claims his constant strive for success was instilled at Madrid, adding: Real Madrid teaches you the most important, that is to win.When you arrive at Real Madrid, every single training session is designed to win and you have to win every single game.There are no excuses, its all about winning. With that mentality its difficult to survive because when you are not at the club you are going to lose a few games. Football Score Centre app Sky Sports customers can watch goals and highlights during Arsenal v Tottenham at no extra cost. However, when you lose and you are a winner with that winning mentality, its easier to stomach.Guillem Balagues chat with Aitor Karanka about his journey from northern Spain to the north of England - and the similarities to one of Teessides most-famous sons, Captain Cook - is available On Demand. Also See: Guillem Balague Boro video Boro fixtures Boro stats ' ' '