Italy icon Fabio Cannavaro opens up on Prem management dream, love of Man Utd ace Maguire.. and valuing himself at £100m
FABIO CANNAVARO still looks a million dollars — and in the current market he would be worth more than £100million.
The years have been kind to the iconic former Italy captain, who won both the World Cup and Ballon d’Or in 2006 plus played for Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid in his glorious career.
And for Cannavaro, great defenders are the key to winning silverware.
Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United parted with £85m to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester in 2018.
But Cannavaro insists, with the modern game awash with money, it is no surprise top defenders come at a premium.
He rates Maguire and Manchester City’s £47.5m buy John Stones highly, but thinks they lack the edge that Italy’s European champion Giorgio Chiellini possesses.
Cannavaro said: “Stones and Maguire have shown interesting things in recent years. They can both play football, defend and fear no one.
“They are good individually and with the rest of the backline. They are points of reference for Manchester City and Man United — and undoubtedly the two best English defenders.
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“When the going gets tough, they take responsibility and are not afraid of trying new things.
"But Chiellini still embodies the spirit of the Italian defender and that level of concentration needed to stop a striker in a difficult moment.
“Maguire and Stones play a totally different type of football and may lack a nasty streak at times. Which Giorgio has.”
Cannavaro, 48, has barely aged since hanging up his boots a decade ago — and sits with a smile in his swanky Mayfair hotel in Central London.
With fees spiralling out of control and average players being paid a fortune, one can only wonder how much prime Cannavaro would actually be worth today.
He added: “Good players like Maguire will always be worth a lot and we should not be astonished when top clubs invest that amount on talented players.
“In Italy, we say that great strikers sell tickets but great defenders win matches.
“Players nowadays rightly cost and earn more money than before because of the finances around the game — and players are the main actors.”
When pressed, Cannavaro admitted that clubs now would have to table a sum with eight zeros to buy a player as good as he was at his peak.
ROMAN GLADIATOR
He said: “Winning the World Cup elevates a normal player to a legend.
“The Ballon d’Or was an extraordinary result but it was just the consequence of my performances at that World Cup.
“I don’t know how much I’d have been worth today. Surely after the 2006 World Cup I’d have been worth around £100m!”
The Naples native’s beaming smile and kind nature stand in stark contrast to the uncompromising centre-back he was.
You would never guess that he is less than two years away from turning 50.
nd he still has that air of invincibility about him, like a Roman gladiator who has never known fear.
Yet defenders in the Premier League seem increasingly to be of a towering stature.
Cannavaro is only 5ft 9in. So, would he have still come through today? He admitted: “Being a central defender now, you need to be 6ft 3in, 6ft 4in.
“Football constantly changes and evolves and the players need to adjust. But if you are a good footballer you can play at any level, in any era.”
However one era sticks out more than any other. The riches of today’s Premier League are well-documented but for Cannavaro the Serie A of the 90s, which won hearts and minds even in England, was in a league of its own.
He said: “That Serie A was better. Every team was blessed with top players and there were seven or eight teams who boasted the world’s best footballers.
“Even when you faced small clubs, you came up against players who represented their national teams.
“I have seen some interesting games in England, but it’s a type of football which has the potential to grow even more.
“Some Prem clubs have elite players and great managers — but in terms of quality players, that Serie A was still superior.”
Despite all the superstars who call the Prem home, Cannavaro is adamant he would have held his own against anyone.
And it is two Tottenham stars who he thinks he would find most challenging. He said: “Son and Kane are very, very strong. The Korean is the one who impressed me the most.
“Aubameyang is also a terrific player, like Ronaldo. But I wouldn’t have feared them.
"Against prime Cannavaro, it would have been tough for anyone."
PREM MOVE?
Cannavaro’s time in charge of the Chinese Super League giants Guangzhou Evergrande ended by mutual consent in September.
He won the title there having also guided another club, Tianjin Quanjian, into the Chinese top flight.
Now Cannavaro is looking for his next opportunity — and would be interested in trying his hand in English football.
He added: “A manager should not set himself limits, I would be open to any kind of experience.
“I would like to manage in England but the same goes for France and Italy.
"If you get an important project, you consider it. My job is to give balance to a team, strong going forward and in defending.
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"“I like my teams to play out from the back, however, it depends on the players you have.
“My teams play on the front foot — but a manager has to be astute and understand situations.”
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