Italian · Naples · Born 13 September 1973Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning captain and Ballon d'Or winner — one of the finest defenders of his generation.
Fabio Cannavaro was born in Naples in 1973 and began his career at his hometown club Napoli (1993–95) before Parma (1995–2002) where he won the UEFA Cup (1999) and Coppa Italia. Inter Milan (2002–04), Juventus (2004–06), Real Madrid (2006–09) where he won La Liga in 2008, a return to Juventus (2009–10) and Al Ahli (2011) completed his career. He earned 136 Italy caps scoring 2 goals — captaining Italy to the 2006 World Cup title in Germany and marshalling the most miserly defence in the tournament (2 goals conceded). He won 74% of aerial duels throughout his career. He kept 312 clean sheets in 760 appearances. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2006 — the only outfield defender to win the award since 1963 and only the second ever. He covered 10.9 km per game with a top speed of 30.8 km/h. He is Italy's most-capped outfield player at the time of his retirement. He later managed the United Arab Emirates and Chinese national teams, as well as Guangzhou Evergrande.
Captaining Italy to 2006 World Cup victory and winning Ballon d'Or
How They Played
Elegant, intelligent defender with exceptional leadership and aerial ability
Lasting Impact
One of the greatest defenders of all time and last defender to win Ballon d'Or
Career Honours
- FIFA World Cup 2006 (Italy, captain)
- La Liga 2008 (Real Madrid)
- UEFA Cup 1999 (Parma)
- Coppa Italia 2002 (Parma)
- Ballon d'Or 2006
- Serie A 2x (Juventus, stripped)
- FIFA World Cup 2006
- UEFA Cup 1999
- La Liga 2008
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals | Shirt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napoli | 1993–1995 | 42 | 3 | #5 |
| Juventus | 2004–2006 | 90 | 3 | #5 |
| Real Madrid | 2006–2009 | 148 | 2 | #5 |
| Inter Milan | 2002–2004 | 129 | 2 | #5 |
| Parma | 1995–2002 | 220 | 8 | — |
| Al-Ahli | 2009–2010 | 18 | 1 | — |
 Italy | — | 136 | 2 | — |
Italian Athletes