Fabio Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro is the head coach of Uzbekistan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the country's historic first appearance at the tournament. Born in Naples on 13 September 1973, he is one of the most decorated defenders of his generation — captain of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning side and winner of the Ballon d'Or that same year, an honour granted to only three defenders ever.

As a player he rose through Napoli's youth system before defining spells at Parma, Internazionale and Juventus, then back-to-back La Liga titles at Real Madrid in 2007 and 2008. He earned 136 caps for Italy. His coaching career began in China with Guangzhou Evergrande, where he won the 2019 Chinese Super League, with a short, ill-fated stint in charge of the China national team in the same year.

After spells at Benevento, Udinese (saving them from relegation in 2024) and Dinamo Zagreb, he was unveiled by the Uzbekistan Football Association on 6 October 2025 — replacing Timur Kapadze, who had carried the team through qualification. Uzbekistan are in Group K with Portugal, Colombia and DR Congo. Cannavaro's task: turn a tournament debut into a knockout-round run, leaning on his pedigree as a World Cup-winning captain to set the standards inside the dressing room.