Fabio Mamerto Cannavaro, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI
(born September 13, 1973 in Naples) is an Italian
World Cup-winning footballer who plays for La Liga
club Real Madrid C.F. and the Italian national team.
Cannavaro was the first defender to be named the
FIFA World Player of the Year, and the first
defender since Matthias Sammer in 1996 to win the
European Footballer of the Year award; both of these
were achieved in 2006. He was also selected in the
FIFPro World XI squad twice, during 2005–06 and
2006–07.
Cannavaro has three children: Christian (July 17th
1999), Martina (December 22nd 2001), and Andrea
(October 20th 2004) with his wife Daniela. Fabio is
the middle child of three, having an older sister
Renata and of course his fellow athletic brother
Paolo Cannavaro.
His younger brother, Paolo Cannavaro, is also a
defender, and plays for Napoli. The two brothers
were first spotted by an English scout whilst Fabio
was only twelve , Michael Hutchinson, who was
working for Newcastle United at the time decided to
personally train them as central defenders, using
his experience, from being a professional central
defender for 16 years. The two brothers played
alongside each other at Parma from 2000 until 2002,
when Fabio left for Inter. His mother, Gelsomina,
worked as a maid and his father, Pasquale, was a
bank clerk.
With his fellow Napoletano Ciro Ferrara, Cannavaro
has helped establish a charity foundation,
Fondazione Cannavaro Ferrara, specialising in the
procurement of cancer research equipment and surgery
for special cases of cancer for a hospital in their
native Naples.
Fabio has also stated in a 2007 issue of League
Magazine, when asked about women he has said that he
has a fondness towards Asian women, that especially
of Indian women and women from China. Saying "the
most beautiful of women lie in Asia, that in India
and China, they are truly walking goddesses". Though
still being married to Daniela, he leads a happy
life with her and his 3 children.
