Paddy Agnew finds the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in relaxed mood and looking forward to facing Spain

LAST TUESDAY in Zurich, one Italian fan at the France v Italy game turned up with a banner reading Buffon, Santo Subito or "Buffon Make Him A Saint Now". The Santo Subito nomination is a slightly irreverent reference to the late Pope John Paul 11.

Among the thousands of pilgrims who squeezed into St Peter's Square in Rome for his funeral, there were those who carried banners reading Giovanni Paolo II, Santo Subito.

As always, football fans exaggerate . . . but only a little. It is merely stating the obvious that Italy are heavily in debt to their goalkeeper and new team captain, in the injury-enforced absence of Fabio Cannavaro. Burdened for years now with the "best goalkeeper in the world" tag, Gianluigi Buffon has lived up to his billing at these championships, especially with that 80th-minute penalty save (first with the hand and then with the foot) against Romania's Adrian Mutu. Had that one gone in, it would have been Buona Notte, Italia.

Buffon has always been a relaxed, laid-back guy. These days, he walks around at Italy's Casa Azzurri centre, grinning from ear to ear: "For a few days now, I've been feeling good. I just wonder why," he says jokingly to the world's media, adding: "Seriously, though, the more you eat, the more you want to eat. The fact that we are still here, still in with a chance in these Europeans, makes me feel really good."

Sure it does. With a grin, too, Buffon claims he sensed just as soon as he arrived at the ground that Italy might win that all-decisive Zurich game with France. As the Italian team bus swung into the car park, it had to swerve and brake to avoid running into the French bus, which itself had hit a parked car.

Footballers can be a deeply superstitious lot. So it is with Buffon; when he saw the French bus in trouble, he sensed there and then that things would not go well for the French against Italy.

When it comes to the Spanish, the side Italy face in a cracker of a quarter-final clash in Vienna tomorrow night, Buffon feels the good sensations again: "The Spanish deserve plenty of respect and they could certainly worry you but I'd say they're not resting all that easy either, even if they go into the game as favourites. That suits me just fine because we were the favourites against Holland and Romania and we all know how they ended."

Given the misfortunes that have befallen Chelsea's Czech Republic goalkeeper, Peter Cech, at this tournament, one suspects the "world number one" label will be sticking ever more to Buffon after Euro 2008. He himself has always been too easy-going, too understated, to make a big fuss about himself, and typically he had this to say of that save against Mutu: "Even if that penalty save was important, as far as I am concerned I am just one of the 23 who have got us to the quarter-finals, just like everyone else."

This is not false modesty, simply Buffon. When Italy started off this competition with that traumatic 3-0 drubbing by the Netherlands, Buffon, as team captain, felt so bad about it that he apologised to Italy and Italians on TV afterwards.

As far as coach Roberto Donadoni was concerned, Buffon overdid it a bit with his apology, particularly when he called it the worst ever performance of his 85-cap international career. When Donadoni opted to recall Alessandro Del Piero for the Romania game, he took away the captaincy from Buffon. After that Mutu save, Buffon was reinstated as captain, whilst Del Piero watched the France game from the subs' bench.

Looking forward to tomorrow night's game, the team captain clearly fancies Italy's chances.

He argues that the squad has refound the sort of team spirit that guided Italy to a World Cup triumph two years ago.

"You've got to understand, folks, that the strength of this team is its sense of unity," he says.

"None of us thinks he is some sort of divo or prima donna and that's very important. Thanks to the fact that we're solid and united, we've pulled off some important results in recent years and we're still here and we've still got plenty to show in these championships."

Indeed. If Buffon leads the Italians to victory, there will be even more banners propelling him down the road to beatification and sanctification, Gigi, Santo Subito.