Summary
"Fabio Cannavaro", Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI (born September 13, 1973 in Naples, Italy) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. Currently he is the captain of the Italian national football team and plays at club level for Real Madrid.
During his career Cannavaro has earned world wide prominence, winning many personal accolades. For example he was the first ever defender to win FIFA World Player of the Year and the first defender since Franz Beckenbauer in 1972 to win the European Footballer of the Year award; both of these were achieved in 2006. He was also selected in the FIFPro World XI squad twice, during 2005–06 and 2006–07. As a youngster Cannavaro played for a team from Bagnoli before being quickly spotted by the scouts of his childhood team Napoli.
At the time when Cannavaro was in the youth system, Napoli were enjoying the most successful period to date of their history, with players such as Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara. Fabio had a duty as ball boy at the "Stadio San Paolo" and his progress was such that he became a member of the first team alongside some of his childhood idols. Cannavaro's debut in Serie A came on 7 March 1993, at the "Stadio Delle Alpi" in Turin for a game against Juventus.
Unfortunately, post-Maradona Napoli were in desperate need of funds and were soon forced to sell Cannavaro to Parma F.C..
Parma
At Parma, Cannavaro initially began to win plaudits from a wider audience and establish himself as an extremely talented defender. Together with his defensive partner Lilian Thuram and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, "Gialloblù" became renowned as the team with one of the best defences in Serie A. Under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti, they helped the club to its best ever league finish in 1997, finishing second, a point behind the champions Juventus. In 1998-99, Parma won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia amongst other trophies. Fabio's individual prowess was recognised in the form of the "Albo d'Oro" (or "Oscar del Calcio: Migliore difensore"): literally the oscar for best defender in Italy award. Cannavaro was named runner-up 3 years in a row (2000, 2001, 2002) as the "Migliore difensore". Note that Fabio would later win this award in 2005.
Internazionale
In the summer of 2002, Cannavaro joined Internazionale for a fee of ?32 million.
Juventus
After a two year stint at the "Nerazzurri", he signed for Juventus. Fabian Carini left Juventus, when he was exchanged for Fabio Cannavaro in a transfer which was worth 10 Million Euro. In coming to Turin, he re-joined his ex-Parma partners Lilian Thuram and Gigi Buffon, to reform one of the most successful defensive line-ups in Serie A, and enabling Cannavaro to win his first "scudetto" with Juventus in 2005 and a second the following season in 2006. Juventus captain Cannavaro won "l'Oscar del Calcio: Migliore difensore", the Football Oscar, for his exceptional debut season at the Turin giants.
After the 2006 World Cup, the Calciopoli trial verdicts relegated Juventus FC to Serie B and stripped the club of its 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Scudetti. Cannavaro, mindful of his age and the imminent prospect of two years of the club not being able to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, decided to leave Juventus. Cannavaro said that 'Even if I know this may be hard to believe, I would have stayed at Juventus had they remained in Serie A - even with a 30-point deduction.
Real Madrid
He accompanied one of his team mates, Emerson and in doing so re-joined his former Juve coach Fabio Capello at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, the home of Real Madrid. Although no fee was confirmed by either club, press speculation has often set the combined transfer's worth at roughly 20 million euros.
On July 25, Fabio Cannavaro officially became a Real Madrid player, with a three year contract and the number 5 jersey. He scored his first goal for the club on August 18, 2006 in a friendly match against Real Betis. On June 17, 2007, Fabio Cannavaro & Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title, Real's first in four years.
International career
Fabio Cannavaro's first taste of international success came over a decade ago under coach Cesare Maldini with Italy's U-21 side, winning consecutive European Under-21 Football Championship titles in 1994 and 1996. In 1996, he participated in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
In the national team, Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta have combined very effectively to form the basis of the Italian central defence for 10 years. He has played for his country in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. Cannavaro made his international debut in January 1997 against Northern Ireland and has since earned 112 caps. Only Paolo Maldini (126 caps) has appeared in more games for Italy.
Cannavaro's first international tournament came at 1998 FIFA World Cup under his mentor Paolo Maldini, and the squad was coached by Maldini's father Cesare. Italy went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France; Cannavaro suffered a cut on his forehead from an elbow by Stephane Guivarc'h during the match. The match was decided by a penalty shoot-out after the teams were tied 0-0.
In Euro 2000, it was "Les Bleus" who once again shattered Italy's dreams. Cannavaro had a strong tournament and the "Azzurri" reached the final, where they led the then world champions 1-0 going into injury time. Near the end of regular time, Sylvain Wiltord found the equalizer, and an extra-time golden goal from David Trézéguet gave France the title.
At the 2002 FIFA World Cup he was credited with holding the defence together, almost single-handedly after Alessandro Nesta was injured against Croatia. Italy however went out amidst a refereeing controversy losing to co-hosts South Korea in the second round, again to a golden goal.
Cannavaro had a hard act to follow when he took over as captain from Maldini after the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly won the team over with his constant smile, laid-back Neapolitan approach and inspiring performances. After Maldini's international retirement he first captained Italy in a match at Napoli and received a standing ovation on the pitch where he sported the local side's colours between 1991 and 1995.
Cannavaro's only international goal was scored on May 30,2004 against Tunisia, Italy won 4-0. Euro 2004 which was hosted by Portugal turned out to be a disappointment. Cannavaro picked up yellow cards during the two draws with Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1), forcing him to sit out the final group game. Italy defeated Bulgaria 2-1, but failed to advance on goal difference.
2006 World Cup
Cannavaro captained Italy throughout their 2006 World Cup campaign. One of his key performances came against Germany in the World Cup Semi-Finals 2006. His crowning moment was lifting the World Cup on July 9 2006, the night of his 100th cap. Cannavaro never received a single yellow or red card throughout the 690 minutes he played in the tournament.
Along with Buffon, Cannavaro played every minute of every match in the tournament for Italy. The Italian defense conceded only two goals throughout the entire tournament, an own-goal against the United States and a penalty in the final against France.
Cannavaro earned a spot on the All-Star Team at the end of the competition - awarded by FIFA's Technical Study Group - alongside six other Italian teammates, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni, Francesco Totti and Gianluca Zambrotta. He was runner-up in the race for the Golden Ball, finishing behind French captain Zinedine Zidane; it was a close contest with Zidane polling 2012 points to Cannavaro's 1977
International goal
Personal
With his fellow Napoletano Ciro Ferrara, Cannavaro has helped establish a charity foundation, Fondazione Cannavaro Ferrara, specialising in the procurement of cancer research equipment and surgery for special cases of cancer for a hospital in their native Naples.
Cannavaro was involved in a doping controversy in 1999, when playing for Parma in a UEFA cup tie against Marseille. Undercover camcorder footage taken from before the game showed Cannavaro receiving an intravenous injection in a hotel. Cannavaro denied any wrong doing, and was never charged with any doping offences.
His younger brother, Paolo Cannavaro, is also a defender, and plays for Napoli. The two brothers were first spotted by an English scout whilst Fabio was only twelve, Michael Hutchinson, who was working for Newcastle United at the time decided to personally train them as central defenders, using his experience, from being a proffesional central defender for 16 years. The two brothers played alongside each other at Parma from 2000 until 2002, when Fabio left for Inter. His mother, Gelsomina, worked as a maid and his father, Pasquale, was a bank clerk.
"Fabio Cannavaro", Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI (born September 13, 1973 in Naples, Italy) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. Currently he is the captain of the Italian national football team and plays at club level for Real Madrid.
During his career Cannavaro has earned world wide prominence, winning many personal accolades. For example he was the first ever defender to win FIFA World Player of the Year and the first defender since Franz Beckenbauer in 1972 to win the European Footballer of the Year award; both of these were achieved in 2006. He was also selected in the FIFPro World XI squad twice, during 2005–06 and 2006–07. As a youngster Cannavaro played for a team from Bagnoli before being quickly spotted by the scouts of his childhood team Napoli.
At the time when Cannavaro was in the youth system, Napoli were enjoying the most successful period to date of their history, with players such as Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara. Fabio had a duty as ball boy at the "Stadio San Paolo" and his progress was such that he became a member of the first team alongside some of his childhood idols. Cannavaro's debut in Serie A came on 7 March 1993, at the "Stadio Delle Alpi" in Turin for a game against Juventus.
Unfortunately, post-Maradona Napoli were in desperate need of funds and were soon forced to sell Cannavaro to Parma F.C..
Parma
At Parma, Cannavaro initially began to win plaudits from a wider audience and establish himself as an extremely talented defender. Together with his defensive partner Lilian Thuram and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, "Gialloblù" became renowned as the team with one of the best defences in Serie A. Under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti, they helped the club to its best ever league finish in 1997, finishing second, a point behind the champions Juventus. In 1998-99, Parma won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia amongst other trophies. Fabio's individual prowess was recognised in the form of the "Albo d'Oro" (or "Oscar del Calcio: Migliore difensore"): literally the oscar for best defender in Italy award. Cannavaro was named runner-up 3 years in a row (2000, 2001, 2002) as the "Migliore difensore". Note that Fabio would later win this award in 2005.
Internazionale
In the summer of 2002, Cannavaro joined Internazionale for a fee of ?32 million.
Juventus
After a two year stint at the "Nerazzurri", he signed for Juventus. Fabian Carini left Juventus, when he was exchanged for Fabio Cannavaro in a transfer which was worth 10 Million Euro. In coming to Turin, he re-joined his ex-Parma partners Lilian Thuram and Gigi Buffon, to reform one of the most successful defensive line-ups in Serie A, and enabling Cannavaro to win his first "scudetto" with Juventus in 2005 and a second the following season in 2006. Juventus captain Cannavaro won "l'Oscar del Calcio: Migliore difensore", the Football Oscar, for his exceptional debut season at the Turin giants.
After the 2006 World Cup, the Calciopoli trial verdicts relegated Juventus FC to Serie B and stripped the club of its 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Scudetti. Cannavaro, mindful of his age and the imminent prospect of two years of the club not being able to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, decided to leave Juventus. Cannavaro said that 'Even if I know this may be hard to believe, I would have stayed at Juventus had they remained in Serie A - even with a 30-point deduction.
Real Madrid
He accompanied one of his team mates, Emerson and in doing so re-joined his former Juve coach Fabio Capello at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, the home of Real Madrid. Although no fee was confirmed by either club, press speculation has often set the combined transfer's worth at roughly 20 million euros.
On July 25, Fabio Cannavaro officially became a Real Madrid player, with a three year contract and the number 5 jersey. He scored his first goal for the club on August 18, 2006 in a friendly match against Real Betis. On June 17, 2007, Fabio Cannavaro & Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title, Real's first in four years.
International career
Fabio Cannavaro's first taste of international success came over a decade ago under coach Cesare Maldini with Italy's U-21 side, winning consecutive European Under-21 Football Championship titles in 1994 and 1996. In 1996, he participated in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
In the national team, Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta have combined very effectively to form the basis of the Italian central defence for 10 years. He has played for his country in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. Cannavaro made his international debut in January 1997 against Northern Ireland and has since earned 112 caps. Only Paolo Maldini (126 caps) has appeared in more games for Italy.
Cannavaro's first international tournament came at 1998 FIFA World Cup under his mentor Paolo Maldini, and the squad was coached by Maldini's father Cesare. Italy went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France; Cannavaro suffered a cut on his forehead from an elbow by Stephane Guivarc'h during the match. The match was decided by a penalty shoot-out after the teams were tied 0-0.
In Euro 2000, it was "Les Bleus" who once again shattered Italy's dreams. Cannavaro had a strong tournament and the "Azzurri" reached the final, where they led the then world champions 1-0 going into injury time. Near the end of regular time, Sylvain Wiltord found the equalizer, and an extra-time golden goal from David Trézéguet gave France the title.
At the 2002 FIFA World Cup he was credited with holding the defence together, almost single-handedly after Alessandro Nesta was injured against Croatia. Italy however went out amidst a refereeing controversy losing to co-hosts South Korea in the second round, again to a golden goal.
Cannavaro had a hard act to follow when he took over as captain from Maldini after the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly won the team over with his constant smile, laid-back Neapolitan approach and inspiring performances. After Maldini's international retirement he first captained Italy in a match at Napoli and received a standing ovation on the pitch where he sported the local side's colours between 1991 and 1995.
Cannavaro's only international goal was scored on May 30,2004 against Tunisia, Italy won 4-0. Euro 2004 which was hosted by Portugal turned out to be a disappointment. Cannavaro picked up yellow cards during the two draws with Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1), forcing him to sit out the final group game. Italy defeated Bulgaria 2-1, but failed to advance on goal difference.
2006 World Cup
Cannavaro captained Italy throughout their 2006 World Cup campaign. One of his key performances came against Germany in the World Cup Semi-Finals 2006. His crowning moment was lifting the World Cup on July 9 2006, the night of his 100th cap. Cannavaro never received a single yellow or red card throughout the 690 minutes he played in the tournament.
Along with Buffon, Cannavaro played every minute of every match in the tournament for Italy. The Italian defense conceded only two goals throughout the entire tournament, an own-goal against the United States and a penalty in the final against France.
Cannavaro earned a spot on the All-Star Team at the end of the competition - awarded by FIFA's Technical Study Group - alongside six other Italian teammates, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni, Francesco Totti and Gianluca Zambrotta. He was runner-up in the race for the Golden Ball, finishing behind French captain Zinedine Zidane; it was a close contest with Zidane polling 2012 points to Cannavaro's 1977
International goal
Personal
With his fellow Napoletano Ciro Ferrara, Cannavaro has helped establish a charity foundation, Fondazione Cannavaro Ferrara, specialising in the procurement of cancer research equipment and surgery for special cases of cancer for a hospital in their native Naples.
Cannavaro was involved in a doping controversy in 1999, when playing for Parma in a UEFA cup tie against Marseille. Undercover camcorder footage taken from before the game showed Cannavaro receiving an intravenous injection in a hotel. Cannavaro denied any wrong doing, and was never charged with any doping offences.
His younger brother, Paolo Cannavaro, is also a defender, and plays for Napoli. The two brothers were first spotted by an English scout whilst Fabio was only twelve, Michael Hutchinson, who was working for Newcastle United at the time decided to personally train them as central defenders, using his experience, from being a proffesional central defender for 16 years. The two brothers played alongside each other at Parma from 2000 until 2002, when Fabio left for Inter. His mother, Gelsomina, worked as a maid and his father, Pasquale, was a bank clerk.
No comments:
Post a Comment