Cannavaro wins Ballon d'Or

[Mac 10 †]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/b4E9vyoT_ag" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/b4E9vyoT_ag</a>

Cannavaro wins Ballon d'Or

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has been named European Footballer of the Year by France Football magazine, says Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon.

"The joy at Cannavaro winning the Ballon d'Or has been overshadowed by the sad news of the death of Ferenc Puskas," said Calderon.

The 33-year-old centre-back, who captained Italy to victory at the World Cup in Germany, joined Real in July.

France Football is due to officially name the award winner on 27 November.

The European Footballer of the Year award is based on a vote by European football journalists.

Cannavaro, who will replace Barcelona's Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho as last year's winner, will become one of the few defenders to win the award.

Earlier on Friday Spanish daily Marca had claimed France Football's editor had visited Real Madrid's 33-year-old defender to confirm he had won the award.

Cannavaro said: "Of course I would like to win it. It would be wonderful and very gratifying on a personal level."

He led Italy to victory against France in the World Cup final in Berlin in July, and then completed a move from Juventus to Real Madrid.

The Italian media also reported had won the award, with sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport announcing: "Cannavaro, it's all true."

And Milan daily Corriere della Sera declared: "Golden Ball to Cannavaro".

Cannavaro would be the fourth Italian to win the award after Gianni Rivera (1969), Paolo Rossi (1982) and Roberto Baggio (1993).

"If Cannavaro has really won it, it would be absolutely deserved," Rossi was quoted as saying by Gazzetta.

Cannavaro is one of seven nominated players from the Italian team that captured its fourth World Cup title.

Former AC Milan legend Rivera said: "I would have chosen Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon but if it is true that Fabio is to win it, I'm happy anyway."

But Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes striker Thierry Henry should have won the award

"Congratulations to Cannavaro if that is the case - but for me there is only one candidate this year and that is Thierry Henry," said Wenger.

"He was the top goalscorer in England, the best player in England, the second-highest goalscorer in Europe behind Luca Toni.

"He played in the Champions League final and he played in the World Cup final."

[Antonio_]

Cannavaro 1st, Buffon 2nd. I only have one word: JUVENTUS.

[Mac 10 †]

What about Real Madrid?

[wcsoldier]

Henry deserved it for his season and his consistency through the years... if he won't never win it, that would be a joke.. congrats to Cannavaro

[Lil White Azz]

Cannavaro deserved it, Henry wouldn't have been a bad choice either

[Antonio_]

What about Real Madrid?

LOL, don't tell me he won it because of how he's playing in Madrid!! We took him from Inter that he was destroyed, and everybody believed his career at high levels was over. We made him the best defender in the world AGAIN, we protected him, we made him our starter for 2 seasons, and he had the chance to rejoin the National Team and to play the WC as a starter and captain. Then obviously he had the best month of his career in the WC. Real has NOTHING to do with this trophy. The same Cannavaro said it.

[Antonio_]

Henry deserved it for his season and his consistency through the years... if he won't never win it, that would be a joke.. congrats to Cannavaro

The list of great players without a Balon d'Or won is so damn long you don't need it to call it a joke. Just immagine Del Piero (and he was on top of the world when before he got injured) didn't win it and they gave it to Sammer.

[Mac 10 †]

What about Real Madrid?

LOL, don't tell me he won it because of how he's playing in Madrid!! We took him from Inter that he was destroyed, and everybody believed his career at high levels was over. We made him the best defender in the world AGAIN, we protected him, we made him our starter for 2 seasons, and he had the chance to rejoin the National Team and to play the WC as a starter and captain. Then obviously he had the best month of his career in the WC. Real has NOTHING to do with this trophy. The same Cannavaro said it.

Lmao, he was at Juventus 2 fucking years.  He has been a class act for more than a decade.

[Antonio_]

What about Real Madrid?

LOL, don't tell me he won it because of how he's playing in Madrid!! We took him from Inter that he was destroyed, and everybody believed his career at high levels was over. We made him the best defender in the world AGAIN, we protected him, we made him our starter for 2 seasons, and he had the chance to rejoin the National Team and to play the WC as a starter and captain. Then obviously he had the best month of his career in the WC. Real has NOTHING to do with this trophy. The same Cannavaro said it.

Lmao, he was at Juventus 2 fucking years.  He has been a class act for more than a decade.

What i'm saying is that Inter acquired him from Parma while he still was a top class defender (the 2nd best in the world at that time, behind Nesta, imo). But his 2 years in Inter were so negative for him that he lost his starting job, he was even used as a right back, nobody wanted to give him another chance. So much that they traded him for Juventus 3rd GK. Possibly the worse trade in recent history of football. How can you say he was "class act" when he got traded for Carini? Inter simply chosed to give him away for free, cause they labeled him a "dead" champion at the end of his career. It was Juventus who regenerated him, who gave him a starting job again, who let him start for all the games of 2 straight seasons, who let him reconquire a place in the National team, who let him go to the WC as the captain of Italy. That's what i'm saying. Real did NOTHING to his career. He was a WORLD CHAMPION before he signed. He was already the 2nd best (imo the best) player of the WC, already a star, already the best defender in the world. You know what i mean? I'm not saying Juventus made his career, but we helped him in the worse moment of his wonderful career.

It's like, to make an example, if Boumsong starts to play well again like he did in Auxerre. We acquired him from Newcastle in the worse moment of his career. Obviously Auxerre made him (like Parma made Cannavaro), but... you know what i mean?

[Mac 10 †]

Yeah I was kidding about Real Madrid, obviously they've had nothing to do with his career and I know what you're saying about Juventus getting the best out of him.

But I doubt no-one apart from Juventus would have taken him.

He had a shit time at Inter and ended up leaving but I wouldn't say Juventus took a chance on him.

They knew what they were getting, Inter were/are idiots.

[Antonio_]

Yeah. Actually Real Madrid bought him instead of Juventus. It was all done. But Camacho (LMAO) refused the trade saying Cannavaro was "too old" for Real. He was 30. So it's 2 dumb teams. You're right tho: Juventus knew EXACTLY they were buying the best defender available on that market. By far.