The volatile forward, so tempestuous for his club, scored both goals as Italy beat Germany 2-1 in the semi final.

"Mario has done very well thus far because, first and foremost, he has great natural talent and this is a great starting point," said Buffon.

"He has come into a squad where there are a lot of champions, not only in the football sense but champions in general. He's come in and been able to work with a coach like ours who, in a number of ways, has managed to get the best out of him."