Buffon the winner says Italy's Tuttosport

Gianluigi Buffon is the 2006 Golden Ball winner, succeeding previous winner, Barcelona star player Ronaldinho, Tuttosport reported yesterday.

The Turin-based daily suggested that the Juve and Italy goalkeeper had pipped Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro and Arsenal forward Thierry Henry for the European Footballer of the Year title.

France Football magazine, the award's organisers, will announce the winner on November 27.

Buffon, who remained with Juventus despite their demotion to Serie B during the summer, would become the second goalkeeper to win the prestigious award after Soviet legend Lev Yashin in 1963.

Buffon is one of 50 players on the France Football shortlist which also includes World Cup winning team-mates Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso, Fabio Grosso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni and Gianluca Zambrotta.

European journalists, who assign the title, handed in their votes on Monday night. Insiders told Tuttosport Buffon had won the ballot and will be awarded the most prestigious individual honour in the game.

He would become Italy's fifth European Footballer of the Year after Omar Sivori in 1961, Gianni Rivera in 1969, Paolo Rossi in 1982 and Roberto Baggio in 1993.

The former Parma keeper, linked with a move to Chelsea, has recently been tipped for the win by Rivera and ex-Juve playmaker Michel Platini, who won the title from 1983 to 1985.