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There is no doubt that Fabio Cannavaro was the leader of the Italian national team at the 2006 World Cup, showing an example to everyone with his play. Let's look at the player who hopes to celebrate his 100th anniversary match in the national team on Sunday by raising the World Cup trophy.
"Squadra Azzurra" captain Fabio Cannavaro knows everything about the failures of the World Cup. In fact, he found out about it quite early, even when he was not yet a member of the Italian national team during the unsuccessful 1998 and 2002 World Cups. At just 16, the former "Napoli" youth team player handed over balls at "Stadio San Paolo" on that infamous night of July 3, 1990 when Argentina defeated the Italian national team in a penalty shootout, disappointing the Italians. That summer, tears flowed in the streets of the Apennine Peninsula, and many of the Italian players and fans of that era still haven't come to terms with that defeat. Nevertheless, the country has the opportunity to rejoice over undoubtedly the most popular Italian national team since the 1990 World Cup, and Cannavaro plays a very important role in this team. It would be hard to deny that Cannavaro is the best player of the Italians in the tournament, and it would certainly be difficult to argue with anyone who would say that the defender is the best in the championship. The world media has been praising the player with envy for the past three weeks, while the Italian press simply emphasized what everyone in the country has known for years. Cannavaro's only mistake in the tournament was probably not covering his teammate Cristiano Zaccardo, who scored an own goal in favor of the USA national team, creating the only goal Italy has conceded so far in the tournament. However, Cannavaro had to fight to rebuild his reputation in a month since he arrived in Germany with a dark cloud of scandal hanging over his head. Despite his undeniable mastery - as he proved playing for "Juventus" over the past two seasons - and the fact that he has played the most games in the national team, there were talks that his captaincy should be taken away. What did he do wrong? With his careless play, causing two players to be out for a long time, and not joining the media campaign condemning the main culprit of the corruption scandal that shook Italy, Luciano Moggi, who helped the defender move from Milan's "Inter" to Turin. However, Cannavaro, who later had to deal with shocking news about Gianluca Pessotto being hospitalized, would never have given up his captaincy. With the determination and coldness he shows on the field, the former "Parma" player refused to step back and focused on proving that if Italy becomes the world champion in Germany, he deserves to be the first Italian to lift the champions trophy as captain since 1982. The 32-year-old footballer was a constant source of security throughout the tournament despite having several players as his partners in the heart of the defense - defenders Alessandro Nesta, Marco Materazzi, and Andrea Barzagli. Although some partnerships may have suffered from a lack of understanding, Cannavaro simply accepted it with his leadership style. He also did it with a smile on his face. When Barzagli ran onto the field in the match against Australia after Marco Materazzi was wrongly sent off, Cannavaro looked at his young colleague, smiled, and said: "Andrea, let's have some fun." The "Palermo" central defender, one of the least experienced players in the team, did not disappoint his captain and played confidently like a seasoned veteran in difficult conditions. An even greater smirk was seen at the start of extra time in the match against Germany when Michael Ballack and the Italian tossed a coin before the game. The face of the new "Chelsea" acquisition reflected the significance of what was at stake, while Cannavaro's mischievous smile simply said it all - that night Italy would finish the match triumphantly. In that tale, Cannavaro will have to lead his team onto the pitch in Berlin, and he will become the first Italian to play a hundred matches after Dino Zoff, who celebrated his centenary anniversary in the 1982 championship, and another legendary defender Paolo Maldini. In addition, Cannavaro also has old accounts with France after two defeats that left a mark of failure on the great defender. He was a member of the team coached by Cesare Maldini, which lost to the hosts at the 1998 World Cup in France after a penalty shootout, and two years later, the Alpine neighbors crushed the hopes of "Squadra Azzurra" at Euro 2000. Cannavaro erred in the final moments as Frenchman Sylvain Wiltord equalized the score, and during extra time, Robert Pires deceived the then-inexperienced Italian defender and set up a pass for David Trezeguet, who scored the "golden" goal that led the then World Champions to victory. Considering his age, this will undoubtedly be Cannavaro's last chance to shine in the World Championships. Whether Italy wins the final or loses, he will still be a part of the great list of Italian defenders - from Franco Baresi to Gaetano Scirea, from Claudio Gentile to Beppe Bergomi - who have engraved their names alongside football legends. Cannavaro is simply a living example that when it comes to defense, Italians just do it better.
