Fabio Cannavaro holds a peculiar Ballon d’Or record that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi has ever managed to reach.
The defender spent most of his career in Italy, playing for Napoli, Inter, and Juventus, before moving to Real Madrid.
His greatest moment came in 2006, when he led Italy to World Cup glory. Italy conceded only two goals throughout the entire tournament, keeping five clean sheets, and defeated France in the final.
That same year, Cannavaro lifted the Ballon d’Or, becoming only the third defender in history to win the award, after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer. Since then, the trophy has been dominated by Ronaldo and Messi, who have won it a combined 13 times.
But Cannavaro holds a unique record — he is the only player ever to have won the Ballon d’Or in the same season his club was relegated.
Juventus had won two consecutive league titles in 2005 and 2006, but they were stripped of them and relegated to Serie B following the scandal known as Calciopoli.
Some players, including Gianluigi Buffon, stayed to help bring Juventus back to the top division, but many others, including Cannavaro, left. He joined Real Madrid for €7 million and spent three seasons in the Spanish capital, winning two La Liga titles during that time.
After three years, he returned to Juventus on a free transfer, but his second spell lasted only one season.
Cannavaro is among a handful of high-profile players — including Zinedine Zidane, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Álvaro Morata — who have played for both Juventus and Real Madrid.
The two clubs are set to meet on Wednesday, October 22, at the Santiago Bernabéu, in the UEFA Champions League.
