It's Official: Golden Ball 2006, France Football announces that Cannavaro has been chosen as Best Footballer of the Year
Fabio Cannavaro can now say he's a Ballon D'Or winner. It had been whispered for several weeks, but the prestigious 'France Football' magazine has just made all the speculation official. Cannavaro will be presented with the award tonight in Paris. The Madridista centre back takes over for Barcelona's Ronaldinho.
Fabio Cannavaro can now boast of the Golden Ball award. Sports magazine 'France Football' has just announced that Real Madrid's Italian centre back has been chosen as the best football player in the world in 2006. After captaining the Azzurra to a World Cup title in Berlin on 9 July, Fabio's career came full swing when he signed for Real Madrid, a team he hopes to conquer the League, King's Cup, and Champions League with this season, the latter being the only title missing from his list of honours.
Cannavaro earned the most votes among the 52 'France Football' correspondents around the world, beating out fellow countryman Gianluigi Buffon, goalkeeper of Juventus, and Arsenal's French forward Thierry Henry. Cannavaro takes over for Ronaldinho, who won the award last year.
AN IMPECCABLE CAREER
Physically imposing despite measuring in at 5'7", Cannavaro has been gifted with a great tactical sense, speed, and ability to anticipate. Three qualities that distinguish a great centre back, and Fabio Cannavaro outshines in all of them. In fact, he was almost named Best Player of the World Cup in Germany, but the award finally went to the player he succeeded in wearing Real Madrid's number ‘5’, Zinedine Zidane.
Cannavaro signed for Naples when he was only 16 years old. He made his official debut when he was 20, in a match against Juventus of Turin. He made the jump to Parma in the 1994/95 season, where he began savouring the taste of international success after winning the UEFA CUP in 1998/99 and two Italian Cups.
In 2002, Inter Milan paid 32 million euros for Cannavaro, making him one of the record signings of the Calcio in terms of defenders. However, he didn't enjoy the same success with Inter that he had experienced with Parma, and was only to able to finish as League runner-up. But an even bigger career change had yet to take place. On the last day of the transfer window, Juve made a dramatic move and bought the player for 9 million euros. Cannavaro won two Scudettos with the Turin side, although the second was rescinded after the recent scandal that shook Italian football.
FABIO CANNAVARO'S TRACK RECORD:
# European U-21 Champion in 1994 (Italy).
# European U-21 Champion in 1995 (Italy).
# 1 UEFA Cup (Parma, 1999).
# 2 Italian Cups (Parma, 1999 and 2002).
# 1 Italian Scudetto (Juventus, 2005).
# 1 FIFA World Cup (2006, Italy).
Realmadrid.com
Photo: France Football
posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 10:42 PM
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