Full Name
Fabio Cannavaro
Position
Centre Back
Born
13 September 1973
Country
Italy
Clubs
Napoli (Italy)
Parma (Italy)
Inter Milan (Italy)
Juventus (Italy)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Juventus (Italy)
Al-Ahil (UAE)
Professional Career
1992-2011
International Caps/Goals
136 caps/2 goals
Honours
2 Serie A Scudetto (Juventus)
2 Spanish La Liga title (Real Madrid)
2 Coppa Italia, 1 Italian Super Cup (Parma)
1 UEFA Cup (Parma)
2006 FIFA World Cup (Italy)
1994/1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (Italy)
2006 Ballon d’Or
2006 FIFA World Player of the Year
An absolute rock in the defence, Fabio Cannavaro was famous for his timely tackles and interceptions, lung bursting runs and giant leaps in tough aerial challenges despite his lack of height. Leading Italy to World Cup triumph in 2006, he was the only defender in history to win the World Player of the Year award. In the same year, Cannavaro also won the Ballon d’Or, becoming only the third player to win the prestigious award after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.
At club level, Cannavaro won two Scudetto with Juventus, but they were later stripped due to the infamous match fixing scandal. He later joined Real Madrid as one of their Galacticos and won two Spanish La Liga titles. For his successes, the Champions League remained one major trophy missing in Cannavaro’s career.
At national level, Cannavaro was Italy’s most capped outfield player, with 136 caps. His solid defensive partnership with Alessandra Nesta in the early 2000s was well remembered. In 2002, Cannavaro was appointed the captain of the Italian national team after the retirement of another legend Paolo Maldini. His calm leadership on the field and superb marshalling of the backline saw Italy won their fourth World Cup four years later.
Best 100 Footballers in the World 