The feeling of nostalgia is hard to escape in Pisa. Second in Serie B, the Nerazzurri are on the verge of returning to calcio’s upper echelon for the first time in 34 years.

The last time the Tuscan got a taste of Serie A, their squad included the likes of Diego Simeone and his Argentina teammate Jose Chamot, along with soon-to-be Juventus and Crystal Palace cult hero Michele Padovano and Marco Ferrante, who would go on to become the fourth-most prolific goalscorer in Torino’s history.

This, to paraphrase Jose Mourinho, was Serie A heritage. And who better to lead Pisa back to the top flight for the first time in over three decades than Filippo Inzaghi, a man who defined an era in the Italian top-flight with Juventus and AC Milan.

Not content with Superpippo, Pisa have now added another illustrious surname to their squad – Buffon. That, of course, is not Gigi, who won the 2006 World Cup alongside Inzaghi, but his son Louis.

While his father has a legitimate claim to be considered one of the greatest goalkeepers in football’s history, Buffon Jr earns his living by creating and scoring goals rather than keeping them out.

The 17-year-old made his debut during the 3-2 defeat by Spezia on Sunday, coming on for Marius Marin in the 84th minute. It was the second time he’d been named in Pisa squad following the 1-1 draw away at Cesena on February 16.

The promotion to the first team has come off the back of impressing for the Tuscan’s youth teams this season, scoring six in 20 appearances for the Primavera – Pisa’s academy side.

“His call up highlights the excellent work being done in Pisa’s youth system,” Inzaghi said at the time.

“He trains with us regularly. He’s a strong, serious young man who deserves this opportunity, as do all the young players in Pisa’s youth setup who are having an excellent season.”

Buffon has a lot to live up to if he’s to match the achievements of his dad, who made his professional debut with Parma in 1995 and went on to make a total of 975 professional appearances.

The 47-year-old won the Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup and UEFA Cup with the Ducali before joining Juventus six years later. He made 656 appearances for the Bianconeri, winning nine Serie A titles, a Serie B title, five Coppa Italia and six Italian Super Cups and reached the 2003 Champions League final, losing on penalties to AC Milan.

Buffon left Juventus in the summer of 2018, joining Paris Saint-Germain and winning the Ligue 1 title at the first time of asking, before returning to Turin the following season in time to win a tenth Serie A title. He eventually rejoined Parma in 2021, before hanging up the gloves at the end of the 2022-23 season after playing a combined 45 games for the Gialloblu over two campaigns.

Buffon won a record 176 caps for Italy and was the Azzurri‘s undisputed first choice goalkeeper between 2002 and his international retirement 16 years later.

One of the only three players alongside former Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal and Germany great Lothar Matthaus to appear at five World Cups, Buffon lifted football’s biggest prize in 2006 as Italy beat France on penalties in Berlin and he then captained his country in the Euro 2014 final.

Louis, meanwhile, could make his international debut against England in a friendly on March 21. The teenager, however, will not be wearing Italy’s colours after receiving his first call-up for Czech Republic Under-18 team.

Buffon is eligible to represent the Czech Republic as he holds Czech citizenship through his mother, the model Alena Seredova who was married to the former Juventus goalkeeper between 2011 and 2014.

Despite the call-up, Buffon can still represent Italy in the future, since only senior competitive appearances permanently lock a player’s national team status.