Biography
Who is Fabio Cannavaro?
Early life
Fabio Cannavaro was born in Naples, Italy, to Gelsomina Costanzo and Pasquale Cannavaro. His mother worked as a maid, while his father was a bank clerk and a football player for provincial side Giugliano. He grew up with an elder sister named Renata and a younger brother named Paolo, who also became a professional football player.
As a youngster, Fabio played for a team from Bagnoli before being spotted by scouts from Napoli, which was his hometown and favourite childhood team. He initially served as a ball boy for the club and watched idols like Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara. He joined the youth team and started as a midfielder before his coach switched him to the centre-back position.
Club career
Fabio Cannavaro made his Serie A debut for Napoli in March 1993 during a match against Juventus. Due to financial needs at Napoli, he was sold to Parma in the summer of 1995. During his time at Parma, he won the UEFA Cup and two Coppa Italia titles, making over 250 appearances across all competitions and scoring five goals.
In 2002, he transferred to Inter Milan on a four-year contract. He later joined Juventus and subsequently moved to Real Madrid in 2006 alongside manager Fabio Capello, winning consecutive La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. He returned to Juventus for the 2009-10 season and finished his playing career after a stint at Al-Ahli in 2011.
International career
Fabio represented Italy across various youth levels, winning consecutive UEFA European Under-21 Championships in 1994 and 1996. He earned his first senior cap for the Italy national team in 1997 and reached the final of UEFA Euro 2000. He became team captain in 2002 following the retirement of Paolo Maldini.
In 2006, Fabio led Italy to victory in the FIFA World Cup held in Germany, earning the nickname The Berlin Wall from supporters. He overtook Maldini as Italy's most-capped player in 2009 and retired from international football in June 2010 after making 136 appearances and scoring two goals for the senior national team.
Coaching career
Following his retirement as a player, Fabio began coaching various teams in Asia. He was appointed as manager of the China national team in 2019. He later served as the head coach of Serie B club Benevento during the 2022-23 season.
In April 2024, he became the head coach of Serie A club Udinese and successfully led the team clear of the relegation zone. He was announced as manager of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in December 2024 before being dismissed four months later. In October 2025, he was appointed head coach of the Uzbekistan national team.
Birthday and age
Fabio Cannavaro was born on September 13, 1973, which makes Fabio 53 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Fabio shares the date with 30 other famous people.
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