Gianluigi Buffon came within touching distance of winning the Champions League 12 years ago, but even two saved penalties in a shootout against AC Milan at Old Trafford were not enough to steer the European Cup into the Juventus goalkeeper's hands. Three misses - by teammates Alessandro Birindelli, Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero - nullified Buffon's heroics and denied Juve their third European Cup, at the same time as handing Italian rivals Milan their sixth success in the competition.More than a decade on, and with a scandal-stained odyssey to Serie B and back in between, Buffon and the Old Lady are still waiting to add to the club's European triumphs of 1985 and 1996.But as the 37-year-old Italy number one prepares to face Barcelona in Berlin tomorrow night, Buffon insists he is happy to have missed out in 2003 because of the burning sense of unfinished business, which continues to act as his motivation."I am missing that [European Cup] from the mantelpiece," Buffon said. "But I am happy not to have won it yet because I still have the motivation to play for something prestigious."This is the game of our lives. If we are not successful it will be a great disappointment. Even as outsiders, we want to win this cup and we will go on the pitch to play and ensure we have no regrets."Since leaving Parma for Juventus in a £32.6-million transfer in 2001, which remains the most expensive deal for any goalkeeper, Buffon has either won, or competed in the final of, every major competition in the game.Winning the World Cup with Italy in 2006 was clearly the pinnacle for Buffon and, with Marcello Lippi's team being crowned world champions in the same Berlin Olympic Stadium that will host tomorrow's encounter with Barcelona, he admits he is searching for parallels that might point towards glory for Juventus this weekend."I return to Berlin after nine years and I am curious to see if the emotions and the feelings will be the same," Buffon said. "But I think they won't be any different."We are all calm, we know we did something unexpected to make the final, but we deserve to be here."The 1-1 semifinal second-leg draw in Madrid last month, which secured Juve's place in the final, ensured a unique piece of symmetry of Buffon, who tweeted after the game: "Da Berlino alla B.....dalla B a Berlino!!!!! questa è la vita!!" (From Berlin to Serie B and back again. That's life!)As the only survivor of the Juventus team that was demoted to Serie B in the weeks after Italy's World Cup triumph following a match-fixing scandal, the club's return to the summit of European football is particularly poignant for Buffon."I felt immense happiness in Madrid after the semifinal second-leg against Real that I had only felt on a couple of occasions in my career," he said. "When you are not the favourites, to go through is greatly satisfying."The task now facing Juventus and Buffon, however, is overcoming a Barcelona team with the goalscoring threat of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez."Of course there is the possibility that Messi scores," Buffon said. "We are playing the strongest team in the world, with a phenomenal player who is in a great moment of mental serenity and physical strength."He seems to be an extraterrestrial that plays with ushumans. The only hope is that this Saturday he will be from Earth, like the rest of us."The Juventus v Barcelona match is live from 8:45pm on Supersport 3 tomorrow night. - ©The Daily Telegraph..