A history of Iker Casillas vs. Gianluigi Buffon through the years.

It is rare that two players from different countries, with very different backgrounds and personalities, come to be so closely identified as peers. But the fates of goalkeepers Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon have been so intertwined over the last two decades that it can be hard to talk about one without mentioning the other.
Juventus' Buffon (39) and Porto's Casillas (35) have 13 league titles, 42 major trophies and 334 international appearances between them. On Tuesday night, they meet for the 18th (and what could be final) time as their clubs look to progress from the Champions League round of 16.
The course of their past meetings reads like a history of club and international football in the 21st Century.
Buffon made his senior debut for Parma aged 17 back in 1995, while Casillas was named on the Real Madrid bench aged 16 in 1997, and broke into the first-team two years later. By then the Spaniard had fixed on the Italian as the model to follow.
"At 14, I began to enjoy his way of playing, his way of being," Casillas told UEFA.com recently. "Then we grew up together, with very similar careers, and have won almost everything. We have a healthy rivalry, and share a lot of affection."
It took a while for the pair to meet competitively, but by 2003 when they faced off for Juve and Madrid respectively, they were the world's top two goalkeepers. Buffon had the better of that clash, crucially saving a Luis Figo penalty late in their Champions League semifinal second leg.