Fabio Cannavaro

On 15 March 2019, Cannavaro was appointed manager of the China national team, in conjunction with coaching Guangzhou Evergrande. Six days later he lost his first match in charge, a 1–0 home defeat in the China Cup to Thailand. On 28 April, he stood down to focus on his role at Guangzhou Evergrande.

Under Cannavaro, Tianjin Quanjian finished third in their top-tier debut with 15 wins, 9 draws and 6 losses and advanced to 2018 AFC Champions League Qualifying play-offs. On 6 November 2017, Tianjin Quanjian announced the club accepted Cannavaro's resignation from the club. He won the Chinese Football Association Coach of the Year award in November 2017.

On 9 November 2017, Guangzhou Evergrande appointed Cannavaro as manager for the second time. He was relieved of his position on 27 October 2019, and went to corporate culture training, with captain Zheng Zhi the acting manager. He returned six days later. On 1 December 2019, he won the Chinese Super League.

After his retirement, Cannavaro became a member of the coaching staff of Al-Ahli, notably as global ambassador and technical director from 2011 to 2013, and as an assistant coach from 2013 to 2014. In November 2014, he was appointed as head coach of Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. On 9 June 2016, he signed a contract with second-tier Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian as manager where he led the team to the league title. He returned to Guangzhou Evergrande in 2017.

On 9 June 2016, Tianjin Quanjian, who were on a streak of seven consecutive competitive matches without a win under Vanderlei Luxemburgo, announced Cannavaro became the new manager of the club. They were ranked eighth place in the league at the time, and on 22 October he guided Tianjin Quanjian to the 2016 China League One title, thus sealing their promotion to the 2017 Chinese Super League.

On 24 October 2015, Cannavaro was named new head coach of Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr replacing Jorge Da Silva. The following 11 February, he rescinded his contract.

In February 2015, Fabio Cannavaro, his wife Daniela, and his brother Paolo were respectively handed ten-month, four-month and six-month prison sentences for breaching orders and entering Fabio's residence after it had been seized by authorities in 2009, amid an investigation into fraudulent activity and tax evasion. All three have appealed and will have their sentences suspended until the final judgement has been made.

On 5 November 2014, Cannavaro was named as new head coach of Chinese Super League title-holder and four-time champions Guangzhou Evergrande, replacing his former national team manager Marcello Lippi. Cannavaro was formally unveiled by the club on the same day. On 4 June 2015, Guangzhou Evergrande suddenly announced Cannavaro was replaced by Luiz Felipe Scolari after a Super League match against Tianjin Teda.

In his fourth season with the club, Cannavaro won his only European trophy, the UEFA Cup, as well as winning the Coppa Italia. Parma finished the Serie A season in fourth place, one point from Fiorentina in the third place spot. In the following season, Fabio's brother Paolo Cannavaro joined the team, and the two Cannavaro brothers were able to play alongside each other for the next two seasons. Fabio won his first Supercoppa Italiana title against Serie A champions Milan and Parma finished the Serie A season in fourth place, tied with Internazionale for the final remaining Champions League spot. However, Parma lost 3–1 to Inter in the Serie A Champions League playoff match, failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage. They started in the third and final qualifying round of the Champions League and were eliminated by Rangers. They were knocked out in the round of 16 of both the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia that season.

Cannavaro's leadership and marshalling of the Italian defence throughout their march to the final earned him a place in the All-Star Team at the end of the competition (awarded by FIFA's Technical Study Group) alongside six other Italian teammates: Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni and Gianluca Zambrotta. He was runner-up in the race for the Golden Ball, finishing behind French counterpart Zinedine Zidane; it was a close contest with Zidane polling 2012 points to Cannavaro's 1977. Cannavaro was also awarded the 2006 Ballon d'Or and the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year for his performances throughout the season and at the World Cup, also being named to the FIFPro World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year.

After his retirement, Cannavaro was appointed as a global brand ambassador and technical consultant of Al-Ahli Club of Dubai on 25 August 2011. In July 2013, after Cosmin Olăroiu took charge as new head coach of Al-Ahli, Cannavaro was named as his first team coach. He guided Al-Ahli to UAE Pro League and UAE League Cup titles in his first season in charge.

Cannavaro has also achieved success with the Italy national team. He was part of the Italy team which won consecutive UEFA European Under-21 Championships in 1994 and 1996. After earning his first senior cap in 1997, he helped his national team to the final of UEFA Euro 2000, being named in the team of the tournament, and became captain in 2002, following Paolo Maldini's retirement. Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and was given the nickname "Il Muro di Berlino" ("The Berlin Wall") by the Italian supporters due to his defensive performances, which saw Italy keep five clean sheets and concede only two goals, neither of which were in open play. He was awarded the Silver Ball after being named the tournament's second-best player. In 2009, Cannavaro overtook Maldini as the most capped player in the country's history. He retired from international football on 25 June 2010 following Italy's failure to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2010 World Cup, having amassed 136 caps and 2 goals for the senior national team. In total, he has represented Italy at four World Cups, two UEFA 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.

In March 2010, Cannavaro's relationship with the Juventus supporters, already fragile due to a perceived betrayal of the club when he left for Real Madrid, reached an all-time low. In a UEFA Europa League tie against Fulham, Juventus, who had won the first leg 3–1 at home, were leading 1–0 at Craven Cottage in London. Early in the first half, Cannavaro accumulated two bookings for reckless challenges and was sent off. Reduced to ten men, Juventus collapsed to a 4–1 loss and were eliminated on aggregate. Cannavaro enraged supporters with the sending-off and its consequent role in the team's elimination. Juventus were also eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia to eventual champions and treble winners Internazionale.

On 2 June 2010, it was announced Cannavaro would move to UAE League side Al-Ahli on a free transfer after the 2010 World Cup. Cannavaro signed a two-year deal. He made 16 appearances for the Dubai club, scoring two goals. Cannavaro announced his retirement from football in July 2011 due to a serious knee problem; doctors had told him he could no longer play.

Cannavaro captained Italy at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, once again under Marcello Lippi, although his performances were not as strong as in previous editions, and he and the Italian squad received criticism from the press. The defending champions crashed out of the competition in the first round, losing 3–2 to Slovakia after drawing against New Zealand and Paraguay. Following Italy's failure to progress past the group stage, Cannavaro announced his retirement from international football. In total, Cannavaro made 136 appearances for Italy between 1997 and 2010, scoring 2 goals, making him the second-most capped Italian player of all time, behind only Gianluigi Buffon. Cannavaro has also made the second-most appearances for Italy as captain, behind only Buffon, wearing the armband on 79 occasions.

During his final seasons in Madrid, Cannavaro's decline began to be evident, especially during the 2008–09 season. Due to his advanced age, he was often seen struggling when faced with pacy opponents such as Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres, leading to Real Madrid conceding any number of goals. On 19 May 2009, it was confirmed Cannavaro would return to Juventus for the 2009–10 season at the conclusion of his contract. On his final match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, he was given a standing ovation by the fans. In April 2013, Cannavaro was named by Marca as a member of the "Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history".

Three years after Cannavaro left Juventus, and following the end of his contract with Real Madrid, in the summer of 2009 he decided to return to the club. Cannavaro started the new season very well, forming good defensive partnerships with Nicola Legrottaglie, Martín Cáceres, Zdeněk Grygera, Fabio Grosso and most notably Giorgio Chiellini, in front of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. However, from Autumn onwards, Juventus' form took a turn for the worse. Having been injured for a while in late 2009, Cannavaro struggled with his own form both on his comeback and subsequently, and Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League, finishing third in their group.

In Italy's final 2009 Confederations Cup group match against Brazil, Cannavaro equalled Paolo Maldini's record of being Italy's most capped player, although Italy were defeated 3–0 and were disappointingly eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. On 12 August 2009, in a friendly match against Switzerland, Cannavaro became Italy's most capped player of all time. He won his 127th cap for his country, beating Maldini's former record of 126.

On 8 October 2009, Cannavaro failed a drug test. However, Juventus claimed the drugs were medicine for a severe allergic reaction to a wasp sting, and not performance-enhancing. Because of the urgent nature of the treatment, Cannavaro could not ask for permission to CONI in time, which was done immediately afterwards. Apparently while awaiting the conclusion of formalities involved for CONI with granting this permission, he was subjected to the drug test that eventually gave the positive result. CONI later dropped charges against him.

On 2 June 2008, Cannavaro was injured during Italy's first training session for Euro 2008. He sustained a knock following a tackle by fellow defender Giorgio Chiellini and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Italian squad doctor Paolo Zeppilli said, "We have to do tests but it does not look like a minor injury." These tests consequently showed that he had torn ligaments in his left ankle. Right after the examinations, Italian journalists waited for Cannavaro, who told them simply, "I'm going home", with a melancholic smile on his face. With that news, Italy manager Roberto Donadoni then called up Fiorentina centre-back Alessandro Gamberini as his official replacement. Alessandro Del Piero captained the team in his place. Cannavaro added that he would stay with the squad to offer support. This would have been Cannavaro's third Euro tournament.

Cannavaro also put his plans to retire from the national team after Euro 2008 on hold and added that the injury had made him more determined than ever to captain Italy through the 2010 World Cup.

Cannavaro was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, making him the only defender in history to have won the award. He also won the Ballon d'Or award in 2006 which made him the only defender to win the award in a decade and only the third of all time after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer. In 2006 and 2007 Cannavaro was named in the FIFA World XI. In 2007, he was in the six man shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. His younger brother Paolo was also a professional footballer, and currently serves as a member of Guangzhou Evergrande's coaching staff under the direction of his older brother Fabio.

After the 2006 World Cup, the Calciopoli trial verdicts relegated Juventus to Serie B. Since Juventus were ineligible to qualify for the Champions League, Cannavaro decided to leave. "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." He followed Juve manager Fabio Capello to Real Madrid in the summer of 2006. In his two-year Scudetto-winning stint with Juventus, Cannavaro made over 100 total appearances in all competitions. His transfer was met with disappointment from the Juventus fans, who had accepted him as one of their own.

Real Madrid paid €7 million to sign Cannavaro, and gave him the number 5 shirt which had previously been worn by former Madrid player and French international Zinedine Zidane. Cannavaro spent three seasons at Madrid, winning the Liga title in 2006–07 and 2007–08, and being named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, also winning the 2006 Ballon d'Or. Cannavaro was elected as part of the 2006 and the 2007 FIFPro World XI squads, and the 2006 UEFA Team of the Year. He was named in the six man shortlist for the 2007 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.

Cannavaro captained Italy throughout their successful 2006 World Cup campaign with composure and aplomb under manager Marcello Lippi. One of his key performances came in a 2–0 extra-time win against hosts Germany in the semi-finals of the tournament: in the last minute of extra-time, with Italy leading 1–0 and facing a German attack, Cannavaro outjumped Per Mertesacker to clear the ball from his area. He subsequently ran forward to dispossess Lukas Podolski, and carried the ball up to Francesco Totti in midfield, who started the play that led to Italy's second goal, which was scored by Alessandro Del Piero from an assist by Alberto Gilardino. However, Cannavaro's crowning moment was lifting the World Cup trophy on 9 July 2006, the night of his 100th cap. Cannavaro did not receive a single yellow or red card during the 690 minutes he played in the tournament. His defensive performance in the final earned him the nickname of "Wall of Berlin", as the final was played in Berlin.

Cannavaro is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time, winning the World Cup as Italy's captain, as well as the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 2006. Although he predominantly excelled as a centre-back, due to his ability to read the game, he was also deployed as a right or left sided full back on occasion, in particular under his Inter coach Héctor Cúper. This was made possible due to Cannavaro's tactical intelligence, versatility, technical ability, ball playing ability, stamina, low centre of gravity and pace, which also enabled him to start plays from the backline after winning back possession.

After a two-year stint with Inter, Cannavaro signed for Juventus on the summer transfer window deadline day. The deal also involved the exchange of reserve goalkeeper Fabian Carini, who left for Inter, both players priced €10 million. By moving to Turin, he reunited with his ex-Parma teammates Lilian Thuram and Gianluigi Buffon, and together the threesome formed one of the most feared defences in the Serie A, alongside the likes of Gianluca Zambrotta, Gianluca Pessotto, Alessandro Birindelli, Jonathan Zebina and Federico Balzaretti. Juventus went on to win two consecutive Scudetti in 2005 and 2006, although they suffered consecutive quarter final eliminations in the Champions League. In the former season, he was also paired with club icons Paolo Montero and Ciro Ferrara. Cannavaro also won four Oscar del Calcio awards, the Italian Football Oscars, for his exceptional seasons with the Turin giants, winning the 2005 defender of the year, the 2006 defender of the year award, the 2006 Italian player of the year and the 2006 player of the year.

Cannavaro scored his first international goal on 30 May 2004, in a 4–0 win against Tunisia, in Tunis. Euro 2004, which was hosted by Portugal, turned out to be a disappointment. Cannavaro picked up yellow cards during his nations two opening group draws with Denmark (0–0) and Sweden (1–1), forcing him to sit out the final group match. Italy defeated Bulgaria 2–1, but failed to advance on goal difference.

Cannavaro was on the cover of the Italian edition of SCEE's This is Football 2003. Cannavaro also features in EA Sports' FIFA video game series; he was named to the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 14. An icon in FIFA 19, Cannavaro has a 92 rating. Cannavaro worked as a pundit on ITV during the 2014 World Cup.

In the summer of 2002, Cannavaro joined Internazionale for a reported €23 million, on a four-year contract. At the time, Parma were in financial difficulty, while Inter had just lost a Serie A title in dramatic circumstances to Juventus and were in the process of rebuilding following four barren years and the departure of star striker Ronaldo. Along with Francesco Coco and his former Parma teammate Hernán Crespo, Cannavaro was supposed to be one of the faces of a new-look Inter led by manager Héctor Cúper.

However, during Cannavaro's spell with the club, Inter mostly flattered to deceive. His stint with the club began promisingly, as Inter reached the semi-finals of the 2002–03 Champions League and also finished runners-up in Serie A to Juventus in his first season with the club. However, his second season was not as productive, and he missed a large chunk of it through injury. He was also often played out of position. Inter finished fourth in Serie A and reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, losing out to Juventus on penalties. Inter finished third in their Champions League group, but would go on to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. After two years with the club, he was sold to Juventus in a surprising part-exchange deal, after just over 50 appearances and two goals. After he left Italy, Cannavaro often spoke negatively of his spell at Inter, comparing the club unfavourably with his other Italian clubs, Parma and Juventus.

At the 2002 World Cup, under manager Giovanni Trapattoni, Cannavaro was credited with holding the defence together almost single-handedly after his usual defensive partner Alessandro Nesta was injured against Croatia. This injury, alongside several errors by match officials, dealt a severe blow to Italy's chances of winning the World Cup; the side having relied heavily on the Cannavaro–Nesta partnership in central defence. Marco Materazzi, who deputised for Nesta, put in performances that were below his usual standards. Cannavaro picked up two yellow card during the group stage and was suspended for the round of 16 match, meaning Italy would be left without their two starting centre-backs. Italy went out controversially in the second round, losing to co-hosts and eventual semi-finalists South Korea, once again to a golden goal.

Cannavaro had a difficult act to follow when he took over as captain from Paolo Maldini after the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly won the team over with his leadership, calming influence and inspirational performances, helping Italy qualify for Euro 2004. After Maldini's international retirement, he first captained Italy in a 1–0 defeat to Slovenia in Trieste on 21 August 2002. He was later officially named Italy's captain for an away UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying match against Azerbaijan on 7 September, which Italy won 2–0. In Italy's qualifier against Serbia and Montenegro in Naples, on 12 October, he received a standing ovation on the pitch where he wore the local side's colours, as Italy drew 1–1.

Cannavaro was sponsored by sportswear company Nike and appeared in Nike commercials. In a Nike advertising campaign in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Cannavaro starred in a "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scopion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam, appearing alongside football players such as Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Francesco Totti, Ronaldinho, Luís Figo and Hidetoshi Nakata, with former player Eric Cantona the tournament "referee". A 2010 Nike commercial, Write the Future directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, begins with Cannavaro making an impressive goal-line clearance from a Didier Drogba shot, before it cuts away to him being guest of honour on a Mediaset-style Italian variety programme, where dancers wearing sequined variations of his #6 shirt re-enact the clearance while suspended on wires.

In the 2000–01 season, Cannavaro aided in leading Parma to another Coppa Italia Final, in which they were defeated by Fiorentina. They were eliminated in the third round of the UEFA Cup that season. Parma also finished the season in fourth place for the third consecutive season, which allowed them to go through to the Champions League qualifying round, although Parma were ultimately unable to qualify. In his final season with Parma, Cannavaro managed to win his second Coppa Italia title, over Juventus, whilst Parma were eliminated in the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup, and finished the Serie A season in tenth place. As from 1997, he began to earn call-ups to the national team's senior squad due to his performances for Parma, and he was consistently one of the best defenders in Serie A. In his time with Parma, Cannavaro made over 250 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals.

At Euro 2000, under manager Dino Zoff, Cannavaro had a strong tournament, playing as centre-back alongside either Alessandro Nesta, Mark Iuliano or Paolo Maldini in 3–5–2 formation. The Italian defence only conceded two goals en route to the final: one against Turkey, and one against Sweden, both in the group stage, keeping three clean sheets in total. The Azzurri reached the final after defeating the Netherlands on penalties following a goalless draw in regulation time. Italy led the then world champions France 1–0 going into injury time. However, Sylvain Wiltord equalised in the final minute of injury time, and an extra-time golden goal from David Trezeguet gave France the title. Cannavaro was elected as part of the Team of the Tournament for his performances.

Cannavaro's younger brother, Paolo, was also a defender who last played for Sassuolo, and previously also played for Napoli, Verona, and Parma. The two brothers played alongside each other at Parma from 2000 until 2002, when Fabio left for Inter. Before his retirement, Fabio had often expressed interest in ending his career with Paolo in a Napoli shirt.

The night before the 1999 UEFA Cup Final, a video tape was released which showed Cannavaro being injected with a substance. The substance was found to be neoton (phosphocreatine), which is used in cardiac surgery to protect the heart during periods of anoxia and stress. It is not on the banned substance list. This chemical is, in partnership with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), fundamental to the ability of the body to produce muscular energy. Phosphocreatine is formed naturally within the body, with over 95% of the compound stored within the muscle cells. The body also receives dietary creatine primarily through the consumption of meat. No action was ever taken regarding this incident.

Cannavaro's first international tournament came at 1998 World Cup alongside the experienced and capable Giuseppe Bergomi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini, as well as the emerging Alessandro Nesta. The squad itself being coached by Paolo Maldini's father, Cesare Maldini. Cannavaro made several strong performances throughout the tournament, although Italy eventually went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France, in a match where Cannavaro suffered a cut to his forehead following an elbow by Stéphane Guivarc'h. The Azzurri managed a 0–0 draw with the match eventually being decided by a penalty shoot-out in favour of the hosts.

Cannavaro made his debut with the Italy national team on 22 January 1997, in a friendly match against Northern Ireland. The same year, he earned plaudits for his handling of England striker Alan Shearer in a World Cup qualifying game at Wembley Stadium. Shearer was then considered by the partisan English crowd to be the best striker in the world, and thought he would make fun of the inexperienced Italian defender. Nevertheless, in a display ranking alongside those of the very best Italian defenders Claudio Gentile and Franco Baresi, Cannavaro managed to keep Shearer quiet for the whole game. Italy won the game 1–0 courtesy of a Gianfranco Zola goal.

Cannavaro was sold to Parma in the summer of 1995 and in his first season, he was instantly a regular in the first team, scoring once in 29 appearances in the league. He would go on not only to win trophies with the club, but also achieve several personal accomplishments, being named the team's captain. It was also in Parma that he met Gianluigi Buffon and Lilian Thuram, who would not only form one of the tightest defensive units of Europe with Cannavaro, but would also become some of his closest friends in football. Further players featuring in this legendary Parma backline were Luigi Sartor, Roberto Mussi, Antonio Benarrivo, Luigi Apolloni and the Argentine Néstor Sensini. Cannavaro began to obtain success during his time at Parma. During his first season, Parma were eliminated in the second round of the Coppa Italia, but finished in sixth place in Serie A that season, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Parma also reached the quarter-finals of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup that season. Parma finished the 1996–97 Serie A season as runners-up to Serie A champions Juventus, allowing them to qualify for the UEFA Champions League the following season. Parma were once again eliminated in the second round of the Coppa Italia and in the first round of the UEFA Cup that season. In the 1997–98 season, Parma finished in fifth place in Serie A and reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals, whilst they were knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League, finishing second in their group to defending champions Borussia Dortmund.

Cannavaro's progress as a player was such that he soon became a member of the first team alongside some of his childhood idols. Cannavaro's debut in Serie A came on 7 March 1993, in Turin, in a 4–3 defeat to Juventus. As a centre-back alongside Ferrara, he soon demonstrated his anticipation, tackling, distribution and his ability to start attacking plays after winning back possession. He scored his first career goal at the San Siro, against Milan, on 8 January 1995. However, despite his promising performances, the post-Maradona Napoli were in desperate need of funds and were soon forced to sell Cannavaro to Parma, where Cannavaro won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia, and was named the Serie A Defender of the Year. Cannavaro remained at Napoli until 1995, earning nearly 60 total appearances with the club, scoring one goal.

Cannavaro's first taste of international success came over in the mid-1990s under coach Cesare Maldini with Italy's under-21 side, winning two consecutive UEFA European Under-21 Championship titles, in 1994 and 1996, and developing an important defensive partnership with Alessandro Nesta, which would also continue at senior level. In 1996, he participated also at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He subsequently played for his country in the 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, as well as in the 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships.

Cannavaro married Daniela Arenoso (born 17 July 1974 in Naples) on 17 June 1996, they have three children, Christian (born 17 July 1998 in Naples) – also a footballer, currently playing as a midfielder for Serie A side Benevento –, Martina (born 22 December 2001 in Naples) and Andrea (born 20 October 2004 in Naples).

Fabio Cannavaro Ufficiale OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfaːbjo kannaˈvaːro] ; born 13 September 1973) is an Italian former professional footballer and current manager of Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. A centre-back, he spent the majority of his career in Italy. He started his career at Napoli before spending seven years at Parma, with whom he won two Coppa Italia titles, the 1999 Supercoppa Italiana, and the 1999 UEFA Cup. After spells at Internazionale and Juventus, he transferred (along with manager Fabio Capello) from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2006, with whom he won consecutive La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. After returning to Juventus for one season in 2009–10, he joined Al-Ahli in Dubai, where he retired from football in 2011 after an injury-troubled season.