Fabio Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro (born 13 September 1973) is an Italian football coach and former player, currently managing the Uzbekistan national team. Widely considered one of the finest defenders ever, he spent most of his playing career in Italy. A centre-back, Cannavaro began at Napoli before moving to Parma, where he spent seven years and won two Coppa Italia titles, the 1999 Supercoppa Italiana, and the 1999 UEFA Cup. After spells with Inter Milan and Juventus, he followed manager Fabio Capello from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2006, winning back-to-back La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008.

He returned to Juventus for the 2009–10 season and retired in 2011 after a stint with Al-Ahli. Cannavaro was part of Italy’s squad that won consecutive UEFA European Under-21 Championships in 1994 and 1996. He earned his first senior cap in 1997 and helped Italy reach the final of UEFA Euro 2000, where he was named in the team of the tournament. He became national team captain in 2002 after Paolo Maldini retired.

He captained Italy to victory at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, earning the nickname “Il Muro di Berlino” (“The Berlin Wall”) from fans for his defensive performances. Italy kept five clean sheets and conceded only two goals, neither from open play. Cannavaro received the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player. He was named 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, the only defender ever to win that award, and also won the Ballon d’Or in 2006, making him the only defender to claim it in a decade and only the third overall after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.

In 2009, Cannavaro surpassed Maldini as Italy’s most-capped player. He retired from international football on 25 June 2010 after Italy failed to advance past the group stage of the 2010 World Cup, finishing with 136 caps and 2 goals for the senior team. He represented Italy at four World Cups, two European Championships, the 1996 Summer Olympics, and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He is currently Italy’s second all-time appearance holder, behind Gianluigi Buffon, and the nation’s most capped defender.

After retiring, Cannavaro has coached various teams in Asia. He briefly managed the China national team in 2019. He was head coach of Serie B side Benevento in 2022–23, and in April 2024 took over Serie A club Udinese, guiding them clear of relegation. In December 2024, he was appointed manager of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb but was dismissed four months later.

In October 2025, he became head coach of the Uzbekistan national team. Cannavaro was born in Naples to Gelsomina Costanzo and Pasquale Cannavaro. His mother worked as a maid, his father as a bank clerk. His father also played football for provincial side Giugliano.

He has an older sister, Renata, and a younger brother, Paolo, who also became a professional footballer. As a boy, Cannavaro played for a team in Bagnoli before being spotted by Napoli scouts—his hometown club and childhood favourite. He initially worked as a ball boy and watched his idols Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara. He joined Napoli’s youth team, starting as a midfielder like his idol Marco Tardelli, before a youth coach moved him to centre-back.

He gained attention during a training session when he made a strong sliding tackle on Maradona to win the ball. The challenge angered teammates and staff, but Maradona defended the youngster and encouraged him to play his way, reportedly giving Cannavaro his boots as a souvenir. Cannavaro soon broke into the first team alongside some of his childhood heroes. His Serie A debut came on 7 March 1993 in Turin, a 4–3 loss to Juventus.

Playing centre-back alongside Ferrara, he showed anticipation, tackling, distribution, and the ability to launch attacks after winning possession. He scored his first career goal at the San Siro against Milan on 8 January 1995. Despite his promise, post-Maradona Napoli needed funds and sold Cannavaro to Parma, where he would win the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia and be named Serie A Defender of the Year. He stayed at Napoli until 1995, making nearly 60 total appearances and scoring one goal.

Cannavaro moved to Parma in summer 1995 and immediately became a regular, scoring once in 29 league appearances in his first season. He won trophies with the club and was eventually named captain. At Parma, he met Gianluigi Buffon and Lilian Thuram, who formed one of Europe’s most formidable defensive units with Cannavaro and became close friends. Other defenders in that Parma backline included Luigi Sartor, Roberto Mussi, Antonio Benarrivo, Luigi Apolloni, and Argentine Néstor Sensini.

In his first season, Parma finished sixth in Serie A, qualifying for the UEFA Cup, and reached the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.