Italian football legend Gianluigi Buffon was left speechless by a life-sized chocolate sculpture of himself crafted by renowned Maltese chocolatier Tiziano Cassar.

The remarkable piece, depicting Buffon as he appeared in the 2006 World Cup, was the highlight of the 14th annual Ħamrun Chocolate Festival.

Buffon, the most-capped goalkeeper in football history, shared his admiration on social media, posting two photos of Cassar’s work.

“My friends from Malta have really outdone themselves! This time they left me speechless: a chocolate Buffon... who would have ever imagined it?” he wrote, adding: “Special thanks to Tiziano Cassar for the extraordinary work. Congratulations, truly a masterpiece!”

Cassar, a respected chocolatier, expressed his joy at Buffon’s response. He told Times of Malta “It was great and gave me a lot of satisfaction. Especially considering I am a Juventus fan”.

The theme of this year’s Ħamrun Chocolate Festival was sports, which led Cassar to select Buffon as his subject.

Determined to get Buffon’s approval, Cassar managed to reach the goalkeeper through mutual connections. “He asked for my CV, and after reviewing it, he gave me the go-ahead to make a design of himself out of chocolate,” said Cassar.

The Buffon sculpture, weighing 180kg and standing at 192cm, was meticulously crafted from 54 per cent dark chocolate.

Cassar estimates it took him 15 days of late-night work sessions, from 5pm to 2 am, all while balancing his full-time job at his family’s catering business, Primavera. Assisted by his brother Malcolm, Cassar dedicated himself to achieving an accurate representation of Buffon’s proportions.

Reflecting on the work, Cassar noted: “I think this might be the first-ever chocolate sculpture of a footballer lying down”.

At 37, the Tarxien native has now participated in the Ħamrun Chocolate Festival four times, gaining recognition for his past sculptures, including likenesses of Russell Crowe, Johnny Walker, and Mickey Mouse.

Cassar’s passion for chocolate artistry began after taking a course with renowned Maltese pastry chef Chris Zammit, who warned him that once he began chocolate sculpting, he would be hooked.

“And he was right,” Cassar laughed: “as soon as I touched chocolate, I couldn’t go back”.