Gianluigi Buffon reinstated his reputation as one of football's classiest figures by staying on the pitch to congratulate every Napoli player on their victory over his Juventus side on Sunday.
The veteran goalkeeper drew widespread criticism for his verbal attack on referee Michael Oliver following Juventus' Champions League defeat by Real Madrid, leaving many questioning his personal qualities.
But as Napoli threw the Serie A title race wide open with a dramatic 1-0 win in Turin, Buffon was the only Juventus player to remain on the pitch to wish their rivals well. It was enough to blow those doubts away.
One Twitter account wrote: 'Buffon is always such a class act. Staying on the pitch to congratulate all the Napoli players long after all the Juve squad went down the tunnel. Wish the game had more true gentlemen like him. Will be sorely missed when he retires.'
Another opined: 'Forget the jokes for a minute. This, from Gigi Buffon tonight is the rule rather than the exception with him and this, not his post-Madrid rant, is why he is so widely respected and adored within Italian football.'
The rest of the Juventus team headed down the tunnel in obvious disappointment. Kalidou Koulibaly's 89th-minute winner moved Napoli to within one point of the current leaders with four games to go.
With tough away games against Inter Milan and Roma yet to come for Massimiliano Allegri's side, it appears to momentum is with the Napoli heading into the final weeks of a fantastic season.
Allegri, although admitting the game was of a 'terrible' standard, said the visitors deserved praise for collecting the three points.
'It was a terrible game from both teams. There were barely any shots on goal. We had some difficulties, but we should've taken it to the end more carefully rather than allow a goal from a set play,' he told Mediaset Premium.
'Napoli deserve some credit for their victory, but there were barely any chances. They had to win, we needed to either win or not lose.
'It's a head-to-head and anything can happen in those situations. Now we have a rest day, then have to prepare for what I think really will be the decisive match for our season against Inter.
'We are still top of the table, we still have the advantage. There are four games to go, two at home and two away, so we'll see what happens.'
