The Italian world cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro first came to the world's attention when his Parma side won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup in 1999. In the summer of 2002 he became one of the most expensive and sought after defenders in the games history when he signed for Juventus in a deal worth €23 million. He won the coveted FIFA World Cup Trophy in 2006 as captain. After becoming just the second Italian captain to lift Silvio Gazzaniga's trophy, Cannavaro went on to win the Ballon d'Or in the same year. He also won the FIFA World Player of the Year becoming the only defender in footballing history to be awarded such honor.
Now at the age of 37 Fabio has sadly been forced out of the game due to knee injury. Though he has been away from the prominence of the world media due to his recent move to Dubai club Al Ahli his retirement is one that has not gone unnoticed. Fabio is widely considered to be the best central defender of his generation and though he will remain at the club as technical director, the presence of such an influence on the pitch will be sorely missed in the sport. Cannavaro was injured for the last seven games of Al Ahli's season and doctor's have now told him that he will not play again due to his injured knee.
The 38-year-old center back said Saturday that "I'm very sad. Football is everything for me in my life."
As a relatively small defender, standing at just 5ft 7inches, he developed a tenacity that made him a feared opponent around the world. Cannavaro is especially noted for his reading of the game, an ability that often saw him make countless interceptions during games. He was also thought of as being the best pure defender in the world, this being the main factor that compensated his lack of height, making him one of the finest central-backs ever to come out of the defensive brilliance of Italian football. His younger brother Paolo continues to play his football for Napoli, the club which gave Fabio his big break.
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