Fabio Cannavaro (; born 13 September 1973) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Uzbekistan national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time.
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 Inter Milan 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. He returned to Juventus for one season in 2009–10 and retired from football in 2011 after a stint at Al-Ahli.
Cannavaro 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. He 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 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 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, as well as Italy's most capped defender.
Since his retirement, Cannavaro has coached different teams in Asia. He was briefly appointed as manager of the China national team in 2019. He was the head coach of Serie B club Benevento in the 2022–23 season, and in April 2024, he became head coach of Serie A club Udinese, successfully leading the club clear of the relegation zone. In December 2024, he was announced as the manager of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb but dismissed four months later. In October 2025, he was appointed as the head coach of the Uzbekistan national team.
Early life
Fabio Cannavaro was born in Naples to Gelsomina Costanzo and Pasquale Cannavaro. His mother worked as a maid, while his father was a bank clerk. His father also played football for provincial side Giugliano. He has an elder sister named Renata and a younger brother named Paolo, also a professional footballer.
Club career
1988–1995: Youth career and Napoli
thumb|upright=0.9|right|A 17-year-old Cannavaro trains with the Napoli youth side
As a youngster, Cannavaro played for a team from Bagnoli before being quickly spotted by the scouts of Napoli, his hometown and favourite childhood team. Cannavaro initially served as the club's ball boy and would often watch his idols Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara play. He later joined the club's youth team, initially playing as a midfielder like his idol Marco Tardelli, before the team's youth coach switched him to the role of centre-back. He gained a reputation when, in a training session at Napoli, the young Fabio produced a strong sliding challenge on Maradona, who was then the undisputed star of the club, to dispossess him. The rough challenge angered teammates and staff at Napoli. However, Maradona himself defended the promising player and encouraged him to play the way he wanted, and reportedly congratulated Cannavaro by giving him his boots as a souvenir after the training session.
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 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. 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. By moving to Turin, he reunited with his ex-Parma teammates Lilian Thuram and Gianluigi Buffon, and together the trio 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 for his exceptional seasons with the Turin giants, winning the 2005 Serie A Defender of the Year, the 2006 Defender of the Year, the 2006 Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year and the 2006 Serie A Footballer of the Year. and gave him the number 5 shirt which had previously been worn by 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.
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".
2009–2010: Return to Juventus
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 on a free transfer. 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. His performances had become unreliable, so much so that his hometown club Napoli made no attempt to sign him, despite Cannavaro expressing his wish to rejoin the club on more than one occasion. 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.
One year after Cannavaro's retirement from Al-Ahli, it was announced he was joining the Indian league team Siliguri. In a footballers' auction whose line-up included names such as Jay-Jay Okocha, Hernán Crespo and Robbie Fowler, Cannavaro was bought by Siliguri for $830,000, exceeding his "base price" by $50,000. However, the league never came to fruition and Cannavaro stayed in retirement.
International career
Youth career
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.
Early senior career and 1998 World Cup
thumb|upright=0.9|left|Cannavaro with Italy in 1998
Cannavaro made his debut with the Italy national team on 22 January 1997, in a friendly match against Northern Ireland. 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. 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 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.
2006 World Cup winner
thumb|right|Cannavaro (right), alongside Italy President [[Giorgio Napolitano, holds the 2006 World Cup trophy]]
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.
Along with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, Cannavaro played each minute of every match in the tournament for Italy, completing 211 passes and winning 16 challenges. Even with usual defensive partner Alessandro Nesta out due to injury, 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
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.
Record-breaking caps at the 2009 Confederations Cup
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. The defending champions crashed out of the competition in the first round, losing 3–2 to Slovakia in their final group match, after drawing 1–1 against both New Zealand and Paraguay.
Managerial career
Al-Ahli
After his retirement, Cannavaro was appointed 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.
Guangzhou Evergrande
On 5 November 2014, Cannavaro was named as the 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.
Al Nassr
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.
Tianjin Quanjian
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 Quanjian to the 2016 China League One title, thus sealing their promotion to the 2017 Chinese Super League.
Under Cannavaro, 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, 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. 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. Cannavaro left Guangzhou again in September 2021.
China national team
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.
Benevento
On 21 September 2022, Cannavaro took on his first managerial job in his native Italy, becoming the new head coach of Serie B club Benevento. On 4 February 2023, after failing to improve the club's fortunes and with the club deep into the relegation zone, he was sacked by Benevento.
Udinese
On 22 April 2024, Cannavaro became the new manager of Serie A club Udinese in substitution of Gabriele Cioffi. A few days after escaping relegation on the final matchday of the season following a dramatic 1–0 away win against Frosinone, who were overtaken by Udinese and got relegated following that result, the club announced Cannavaro's departure from the club.
Dinamo Zagreb
In December 2024, Cannavaro was confirmed as the new manager of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, marking his first adventure in a foreign country in Europe. Cannavaro's first competitive match was in the Champions League against Arsenal, where Dinamo lost 3–0. Cannavaro had his first competitive win against Milan; however, despite Dinamo winning 2–1, the club failed to reach the knockout playoffs of the Champions League. By April 2025, Dinamo were eight points behind title rivals Hajduk Split and Cannavaro was heavily criticized for his way of managing the club. On 9 April, he was sacked.
Uzbekistan national team
On 6 October 2025, the Uzbekistan national team appointed Cannavaro as their head coach, particularly for their debut World Cup appearance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.