The ball arrives, Cannavaro puts it out! Then again insists Podolski...Cannavaro! Cannavaro! Go the counterattack with Totti, inside the ball for Gilardino...Gilardino can keep it close to the corner flag, looking for one to one, Gilardino, inside for Del Piero, Del Piero...Goal! Aleeeex Deeel Piero! Close the suitcases! We go to Berlin! We go to Berlin! Let's go get the Cup! We go to Berlin!


The text you have just read is an extract from Fabio Caressa's commentary in the 2006 World Cup Semi-final that Italy was playing against Germany in its home.

It describes one of the most beautiful and exciting moments, it's in extra time and Italy has just scored the goal of 1-0 with Fabio Grosso.

So the Germans are rushing forward with all their strength to desperately find the draw. The problem for them is that they knock against a wall, not so high, a wall of only 176 cm, but so solid that it can not be thrown down in any way.

That insurmountable obstacle has a name and a surname:

Fabio Cannavaro

Cannavaro plays that World Cup as Captain, in a really stormy moment for all the Italian football.

The Calciopoli scandal has just broken out, and this involves him directly, because at that time he ia a FC Juventus player.

In addition, the group is deeply upset by the suicide attempt of Gianluca Pessotto, a teammate and friend of many players of the Italian National team.

Unexpectedly, these events have a positive effect on the group, which is consolidated and acquires extraordinary determination.

Fabio is a true leader, as well as being a phenomenal defender. A coach in the field for his team-mates, an important point of reference for Marcello Lippi.

He plays all the games in a state of sublime competitive trance, always seems to be in the right place and, when he is out of position, he always is able to recover and save the situation.

In this video, you can see it very well. It shows all the most beautiful defensive actions of Cannavaro in that World Cup. He was so impeccable as to provoke the irrepressible exaltation of Caressa, and the commentator accompanied all his prowess by pronouncing his surname in a loud and proud voice.

A way to call CANNAVARO! that has become famous all around the world and that has brought a little luck to the player and to the Italian National Team.

And in fact, Cannavaro, thanks to those superlative performances, succeeds in reaching two goals of inestimable value. The first, as already mentioned, is to conquer and raise the World Cup as Captain of the Italian national team.

The second is to win the Ballon D'Or as a defender, an award obtained by very few defensive players like Sammer and Beckenbauer, and escaped to great Italian legends like Baresi and Maldini.

A truly extraordinary feat for the Neapolitan player, considered, by many critics, a strong defender but with structural limits, above all related to his height.

And instead, these detractors have had to change their opinions, seeing the exceptional achievements that Fabio was able to reach in his career.

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Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!

See you soon!

Girolamo

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