Cannavaro - impressive defender (Allsport)
FABIO CANNAVARO
Position: Defender
Born: 13.09.73
Club: Parma
An aggressive hard-tackling defender, Cannavaro established himself under former national team boss Cesare Maldini.
He effectively marked Alan Shearer out of the 1998 World Cup qualifier with England at Wembley and also produced some excellent displays in Le Tournoi.
But it was at the 2002 European Championships in Holland and Belgium that Cannavaro really stood out, showing the rest of the world his ability with a superb tournament.
Bought by Parma for around £5m in the summer of 1995 from Napoli, Cannavaro remains now the first-choice for his country in the centre of defence.
A very assured player who has become probably the best defender in Serie A, the Napoli-born player formed a fine rearguard alongside Lilian Thuram. Cannavaro is confident in the tackle and distributes the ball well. He made his Serie A debut at the age of 20, against Juventus and is a possible successor to the likes of Baresi as one of the great Italian stoppers.
Has been linked with big-money moves to most of Europe's top clubs, notably the Roman giants Lazio and Roma.
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