Cannavaro holds an 'undesired' record in the Ballon d'Or history

Ex-footballer Fabio Cannavaro holds a peculiar Ballon d'Or record that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi has managed to reach.

One of the most memorable moments in Fabio Cannavaro's career was when he led Italy to win the 2006 World Cup.

In that tournament, the Azzurri conceded only two goals throughout, kept five clean sheets, and defeated France in the final. That same year, Cannavaro won the Ballon d'Or, becoming only the third defender in history to receive this honor after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.

Since then, the award has been almost entirely dominated by Ronaldo and Messi, who have together won 13 Ballon d'Ors.

Cannavaro also holds a special record as the only player to win the Ballon d'Or in a season when his club was relegated. Juventus had won Serie A titles consecutively in 2005 and 2006 but were stripped of their titles and relegated to Serie B due to the Calciopoli scandal.

Some players, like Gianluigi Buffon, stayed to help Juventus return to Serie A, but many, including Cannavaro, left the club.

The former Italian international joined Real Madrid for a fee of 7 million Euros and spent three seasons in the Spanish capital, winning two La Liga titles. After three years, he returned to Juventus on a free transfer, but this comeback lasted only one season.

After retiring in 2011, Cannavaro began his coaching career. It started in 2013 as an assistant at Shabab Al Ahli (UAE), where he helped the team secure a domestic double of league and League Cup titles. His breakthrough came when he managed Tianjin Quanjian, leading them to win the China League One in 2016 and finishing third in the Chinese Super League in their first season, earning him the title of China's Best Coach in 2017.

This success paved the way for Cannavaro to manage Guangzhou Evergrande in two spells (2014–2015, 2017–2021), winning the 2019 Chinese Super League and reaching advanced stages in the AFC Champions League multiple times, with 125 wins in 211 matches, making him one of the most successful foreign coaches in China.

Earlier this month, the 1973-born former star was appointed as head coach of the Uzbekistan national teamwith the goal of helping the Central Asian side achieve strong results in their first-ever World Cup appearance next summer.

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