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The president of the Madrid club, Ramon Calderon, hinted that the captain of the Italian national team had been named European Footballer of the Year for the 51st time in the prestigious "France Football" magazine rankings and won the so-called "Golden Ball" (Ballon D'Or).
"The joy of F.Cannavaro's victory with the 'Golden Ball' was overshadowed by the sad news of F.Puskas' death," Calderon said about the prize won by the current team's star and the death of the former legendary Hungarian footballer that shook the football world last Friday.
33-year-old F.Cannavaro, who was the captain of the Italian national team and helped them win the World Cup in the summer, moved from Turin's "Juventus" to the Spanish capital in June. Although the winner, chosen by European football journalists, will be officially announced by "France Football" on November 27, in case of victory, the Italian would replace last year's laureate, Ronaldinho from "Barcelona," and become one of the few defenders to win the award.
On Friday, the Spanish newspaper "Marca" reported that the director of "France Football" visited the 33-year-old "Royal" club player and confirmed the prize he had won. "Of course, I would like to win it. It would be amazing and very pleasant personally," said the footballer himself.
The Italian press also reported the likely outcome. The newspaper "Gazzetta dello Sport" announced: "Cannavaro, it's true," and the Milan-based "Corriere delle Sera" declared: "The Golden Ball goes to Cannavaro."
F.Cannavaro, who was one of the seven [link="http://www.eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=7515"]candidates for the award[/link] of World Champions, would become the fourth Italian to win the award after Gianni Rivera (1969), Paolo Rossi (1982), and Roberto Baggio (1993). "If Cannavaro really won, he would fully deserve it," P.Rossi quoted in "Gazzetta dello Sport."
"Milan" legend G.Rivera had a slightly different opinion, but he also rejoiced in his compatriot's success: "I would have chosen Italy's national team goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, but if it's true that Fabio won the prize, I'm still satisfied."
Marcello Lippi, who led the Italian national team to the top of world football, did not hide his satisfaction with the result: "I am happy for F.Cannavaro, it was an exceptional year. I am proud of this result. When I heard that the candidates included Gianluigi Buffon, Gianluca Zambrotta, Gennaro Gattuso, Fabio Grosso, Luca Toni, and Andrea Pirlo, I was very happy, I cannot hide it."
"Now that I hear about this victory, it's fantastic. I am just as happy for Cannavaro as I would have been for Buffon. I cannot distinguish between the two of them. They are not only great players but also wonderful people. I believe that all Italians will celebrate this 'Golden Ball,' reflecting a victory that no one will ever forget," said M.Lippi.
