FABIO CANNAVARO

After debuting in the Italian Serie A League with Napoli, he moved to Parma. Together with Thuram and Buffon, he was among the protagonists of one of Parma’s best periods, finishing second in the League table in 1997, while winning the Coppa Italia twice, and the Uefa Cup and Italian Super Cup in the following years.

He was awarded the captain’s armband of the Italian team (which he kept until 2010). He made the switch to Inter in the Italian League where he obtained his best result in Europe, reaching the semifinals of the Champions League. In 2004, he moved to Juventus, under the wing of Fabio Capello.

He was given the honour of lifting the World Cup after Italy’s victory over Germany. He also won the Ballon d’Or in the same year and was elected FIFA World Player of the Year. He then signed for Real Madrid where he won the Spanish League two years in a row.

He retired from playing football to take up coaching. In 2019, he led the Guangzhou Evergrande side to victory in the Chinese League. In 2024, he returned to the Italian Serie A as manager of Udinese.