Fabio Cannavaro belongs to a very exclusive club in soccer history, as one of the few defenders to ever win the prestigious Ballon d’Or. As a legendary center-back, the Italian faced off against some of the greatest forwards of all time. However, for Cannavaro, the greatest player ever is someone he never had the chance to go up against.
Back in 2020, during an Instagram Live session with the former Real Madrid star, Marcelo, Cannavaro unequivocally named Diego Maradona as the greatest of all time.
“For me, Maradona was the best of all, and Ronaldo Nazário was the only one who came close to Diego. I experienced it firsthand against Ronaldo in ’97, when he was at his peak. People were already talking about him, and he was incredible—my God, he was unstoppable,” the former Juventus star explained.
Cannavaro also praised Ronaldo Nazário’s brilliance. “I remember our first meeting in ’97. The coach, Cesare Maldini—Paolo’s father, rest in peace—told me before the game, ‘Fabio, today we’ll see if he’s truly ‘The Phenomenon.’ He had so much confidence in me,” Cannavaro recalled.
Ronaldo of Brazil (right) competes with Fabio Cannavaro of Italy during the match in the Tournoi De France in Lyon, France. (Ben Radford /Allsport/Getty Images)
“Back then, you played man-to-man defense. I marked you directly. From that match comes the photo of me and Paolo [Maldini] with you, he continued . Maldini went for the ball, and I went for your foot. After the match, I went to the coach and said, ‘I’m scared—this guy is the real phenomenon because he’s so strong.’ And the coach replied, ‘You’re right’”.
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Cannavaro’s tribute to Maradona
In an interview with Italian outlet Calciomercato, Cannavaro spoke about Diego Maradona and the profound impact the Argentine legend had on him. “For us, he was and still is a God,” he noted. “The first time I saw him, I was 12 years old in the locker room at the San Paolo Stadium”.
“Later, I had the chance to train with him as a teammate on Thursdays with the first team and to know him as a friend in Dubai,” Cannavaro added. “It’s a shame he’s gone because, without a doubt, he could have lived much longer”.
Fabio Cannavaro’s remarkable career
Throughout his illustrious career, Cannavaro played for clubs such as Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, and Al-Ahli, appearing in 694 matches and scoring 16 goals. Among his many accolades, the highlight was leading Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where they defeated Zinedine Zidane’s France in a penalty shootout.
