Paolo Cannavaro facts for kids
Cannavaro in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paolo Cannavaro | ||
| Date of birth | 26 June 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Naples, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1998 | Napoli | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–1999 | Napoli | 2 | (0) |
| 1999–2006 | Parma | 92 | (4) |
| 2001–2002 | → Verona (loan) | 24 | (1) |
| 2006–2014 | Napoli | 236 | (8) |
| 2014 | → Sassuolo (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2014–2017 | Sassuolo | 94 | (1) |
| Total | 464 | (14) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1996 | Italy U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 1996 | Italy U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Italy U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2001 | Italy U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Italy U21 | 18 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024–2024 | Pro Vercelli | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 December 2017 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 April 2015 |
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Paolo Cannavaro (born June 26, 1981) is a former Italian professional footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field.
Paolo started his career at his hometown club, Napoli. In 1999, he moved to Parma, where he played alongside his older brother, Fabio. He stayed at Parma for seven seasons. During this time, he also had a short loan spell at Verona in the 2001–02 season. He helped Parma reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2005.
In 2006, Paolo returned to Napoli. He became the team's captain. He helped the club become strong again. Napoli was promoted to Serie A, Italy's top football league, in his first season back. He also helped them qualify for the UEFA Cup in 2008 and the Champions League in 2011. In 2012, Napoli won the Coppa Italia, which was the club's first major trophy in over 20 years!
After eight seasons with Napoli, he joined Sassuolo in 2014. He played there until he retired from football in 2017.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Paolo Cannavaro was born in Naples, Italy, on June 26, 1981. He is the younger brother of Fabio Cannavaro, who was also a famous football defender.
Paolo's nephew, Christian Cannavaro, is Fabio's son. Christian is also a footballer and plays as a midfielder. He has played for clubs like Sassuolo and Benevento. Paolo's own son, Manuel (born in 2002), also plays football as a central midfielder.
Paolo's Club Career
Starting Out: Napoli and Parma
Paolo Cannavaro began his professional football journey at his hometown club, Napoli. He made his first appearance for the team in the 1998–99 season when he was just 17 years old.
The next season, he moved to Parma. There, he got to play alongside his older brother, Fabio. Paolo's first game for Parma was special because he came on as a substitute for his brother! Parma won that game 4–1 against Lecce.
Time at Parma and Verona
In the 2001–02 season, Paolo went on loan to Verona. He played 25 games for Verona and scored his very first professional goal.
After his loan, he returned to Parma. For the next two seasons (2002–03 and 2003–04), he was often a substitute player. However, in the 2004–05 season, Paolo played much more for Parma. He appeared in 28 games and scored 1 goal from his defensive position. He also helped Parma reach the semi-finals of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, which is a big European competition.
Returning Home: Napoli Captain
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In 2006, Napoli was promoted back to Serie B, a higher league. They wanted to build a strong team, so Paolo Cannavaro came back to his first club. In his first season back, he helped Napoli get back into the top league of Italian football, Serie A.
The next season, Paolo became the team's captain. He played a very important role in Napoli's success. He helped his team qualify for the UEFA Cup in 2008. Later, he also helped them get a spot in the Champions League in 2011.
One of his biggest achievements was lifting the Coppa Italia trophy in 2012. Napoli beat Juventus 2–0 in the final in Rome. This was Napoli's first major trophy in over 20 years, and Paolo was the captain who lifted it! The following season, Napoli played Juventus again in the 2012 Supercoppa Italiana but lost 4–2 after extra time.
Final Years: Sassuolo
On January 31, 2014, Cannavaro joined Sassuolo on loan. He helped the newly promoted club stay in Serie A. Sassuolo then signed him permanently in the summer of 2014.
In December 2017, Paolo announced he would retire from professional football at the end of the month. His last game in Serie A was on December 30, a 1–1 draw against Roma.
Playing for Italy
As a young player, Paolo Cannavaro played for the Italy under-21 national team. He played 18 times between 2002 and 2004. He was part of the Italy under-21 team that reached the semi-finals of the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
He also received one call-up to the main Italian national senior team in October 2007. This was for a friendly match against South Africa. Even though he didn't play in that game, it was an honor to be called up, just like his older brother Fabio.
How Paolo Played Football
Paolo Cannavaro was a tall, strong, and experienced defender. He was known for being very good at heading the ball. He was a talented player who was reliable and focused.
Even though he wasn't super fast, he was very good with the ball. He had good technique, vision, and could pass well. This meant he was best as a centre-back in a three-man defense. He could start attacks from the back after winning the ball. He was also good at anticipating what opponents would do, marking them closely, and tackling. He was a quiet person but showed strong leadership on the field.
Coaching Career
Assistant Coach Roles
After retiring from playing in December 2017, Paolo became an assistant coach. He joined his brother, Fabio Cannavaro, who was the manager at the Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. They worked there until September 2021.
Later, Paolo continued to be Fabio's assistant coach. They worked together at Serie B club Benevento from September 2022 to February 2023. They also worked at Udinese for the last part of the 2023–24 season.
First Head Coach Job
On June 29, 2024, Paolo Cannavaro took on his first job as a head coach. He became the manager of Serie C club Pro Vercelli. However, after a difficult start to the season, Paolo resigned from his position on November 28, 2024. His coaching staff, including assistant Rolando Bianchi, also left the club.
Career Statistics
Club
| Team | Season | League | Domestic Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Comp | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | ||
| Napoli | 1998–99 | B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 |
| Parma | 1999–2000 | A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | A | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | UC | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Verona | 2001–02 | A | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 26 | 1 |
| Parma | 2002–03 | A | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 16 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | A | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | UC | 6 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | A | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | UC | 12 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| 2005–06 | A | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 31 | 3 | |
| Parma total | 92 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 128 | 4 | |||
| Napoli | 2006–07 | B | 39 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | 43 | 3 |
| 2007–08 | A | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | 39 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | A | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | I+UC | 2+4 | 0+0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | A | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 34 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 | A | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | UEL | 7 | 0 | 40 | 2 | |
| 2011–12 | A | 32 | 2 | 5 | 0 | UCL | 7 | 0 | 44 | 2 | |
| 2012–13 | A | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | UEL | 2 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2013–14 | A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | UEL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Napoli total | 238 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 278 | 9 | |||
| Sassuolo | 2013–14 | A | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 16 | 0 |
| 2014–15 | A | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 26 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | A | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 32 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | A | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | UEL | 7 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | A | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 21 | 0 | |
| Sassuolo total | 110 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 121 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 464 | 14 | 38 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 553 | 14 | |||
Honours
- Napoli
- Coppa Italia: 2011–12
See also
In Spanish: Paolo Cannavaro para niños
