The agent of Gianluigi Buffon has claimed that the goalkeeper can play at the top of the game until his 40th birthday.

The Juventus shot-stopper was the hero on Sunday as Italy beat Uruguay 3-2 on penalties in the Confederations Cup third-place play-off.

And his representative has admitted that the 35-year-old goes into next season as one of the best in the world.

“Gigi can reach 40 quietly and without a fuss,” Silvano Martina told Radio Sportiva. “He can make the World Cup in 2018.

“Gigi is an absolute champion and is still the strongest goalkeeper of them all.

“The penalty shoot-out against Spain [in the semi-final of the tournament] was unlucky – those penalties were unstoppable.

“A goalkeeper can't really be judged by a shoot-out – he has less to lose than the attacker.

“But the Confederations Cup was a event which prepared the team well for next year.

“Italian football has got back to its optimum level, amongst the top five in the world.”