Fabio Cannavaro: I want the Italy manager's job

The former defender won 136 caps for the Azzurri, earning the nickname ‘The Berlin Wall’ as he captained his country to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Since hanging up his boots, the 42-year-old has coached Al-Ahli, Guangzhou Evergrande and Al-Nassr, and believes he’s now ready for the national team.

“I’d like to be CT (manager) of the national team,” Cannavaro told Sky.

“It’s a difficult role, but I know the environment, I was there for 15 years. When a former player remains in the game and gets told he doesn’t have experience I don’t understand it.

“That’s football; [Pep] Guardiola wasn’t told that he needed experience, having [Lionel] Messi, [Samuel] Eto’o and Ronaldinho, but if it’d gone badly that’s what they’d have said.”

Wow. All respect to Cannavaro's achievements on the pitch... but a few months managing in China and the UAE will qualify you for the Italy job about as well as a stint as a traffic cop would help you to prepare tracking down serial killers with the FBI.