Cannavaro reaches 100 cap milestone with a smile on his face

By Nicholas Rigillo Jul 7, 2006, 9:09 GMT

Italian player Fabio Cannavaro celebrates after the extra time of the semi final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Germany and Italy in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, 04 July 2006. Italy won by 2-0. EPA/ROLAND WEIHRAUCH

Rome - Coming from Naples, Fabio Cannavaro knows a thing or two about good food and beautiful songs.

So, when Germany's top-selling tabloid launched a pizza boycott ahead of the hosts' semi-final against Italy, it was only natural that he should smile back and say: 'You don't know what you are missing.'

A day later, Cannavaro again took centre stage, this time as Italy's lead vocalist, conducting his team-mates through a passionate rendition of the most famous of Neapolitan songs - O Sole Mio - while celebrating their 2-0 victory over Germany in the changing rooms.

Cannavaro was a ball boy in Naples' San Paolo stadium when Argentina dashed the hosting nation's hope of a place in the final of the 1990 World Cup.

But on Sunday, the gritty 32-year-old captain will finally realise his life-time aspiration by taking part in football's most prestigious game.

'It means dreams can sometimes come true,' he said ahead of the showdown against France.

If Italy have made it all the way to Berlin, it is largely thanks to his contribution in defence.

The Azzurri have conceded just one goal so far, an own goal by Cristian Zaccardo in Italy's 1-1 draw against the United States.

Otherwise, they have been impeccably guided by the experienced Juventus full-back, one of the few players to have played in all of Italy's World Cup matches so far.

Alessandro Nesta and Marco Materazzi came and went, but Cannavaro was always there, reassuring less-experienced defenders like Fabio Grosso, Andrea Barzagli or Zaccardo and leading what fans back home now call 'Il Muro Italiano' (The Italian Wall).

'Cannavaro is having a fantastic World Cup. He is without question the strongest defender at this tournament and the absolute number one in the world,' said coach Marcello Lippi.

On Sunday, Cannavaro will earn his 100th cap for the Azzurri - a goal that only the great Paolo Maldini (with 126 caps) and Dino Zoff (with 112) had obtained so far.

And should Italy defeat France in Berlin, it will be up to him to lift the golden World Cup trophy.

There's talk in Italy of him deserving the European Footballer of the Year award and building a statue in his honour.

But Cannavaro prefers to share the merit of his team's achievement with the rest of the players and Lippi in particular.

'We've sent Lippi a very clear message. We hope he can stay at the helm of this wonderful group,' Cannavaro told reporters.

'We've been preparing for this World Cup for two years. The improvements have been gradual, thanks to a mix of young new players and important veterans,' he said.

Cannavaro is rightly being celebrated as one of the world's greatest. But there was a time, not so long ago, when he was being identified with everything that's wrong with Italian football.

Last April, a video showing him taking an intravenous drip before the 1999 UEFA Cup final between his old club Parma and Olympique Marseille caused an uproar when it was shown on Italian television. The video was shot by Cannavaro himself, and though it showed he was not making use of illegal substances, it nevertheless sparked talk of stripping him of the Italy captaincy.

Only a few weeks ago, his home was raided by police searching for an illegal contract he had allegedly signed with Juventus. No evidence was found, but the raid nevertheless bruised his image once again.

Cannavaro also didn't help his cause by rushing to the defence of Juventus manager Luciano Moggi, the man most implicated in the match-fixing scandal currently involving the Turin powerhouse and three other Serie A sides. Cannavaro later retracted his statement.

Come Sunday, all will be forgotten. And Cannavaro will face the unenviable task of trying to stop Zinedine Zidane from ruining Italy's plans of winning a fourth World Cup title.

But please don't mention the word 'catenaccio' (a term used to describe Italy's exceedingly defensive tactics) in his presence.

'Despite the old catenaccio cliche' that has accompanied us for decades. Italy is a daring team that ended its match against Germany with no less than four strikers,' Cannavaro said.