Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is preparing for the Confederations Cup, his move to Juventus and beating Paolo Maldini’s Azzurri caps record.
“I had not thought about the record until now, but as there are only two games for me to reach Maldini’s tally of 126, I cannot ignore it,” smiled the veteran.
“He is an exceptional lad and it’s a shame he had to put up with that protest from a small minority of fans upon his retirement. In our country sometimes we lack the right sporting culture.”
Cannavaro could celebrate that achievement in South Africa, where Italy travel to play the Confederations Cup against Egypt, USA and Brazil.
“This will be a new experience, as Italy have never taken part in this competition before. We’ll see what we can get out of it and it certainly wouldn’t be disappointing to win the trophy.
“Spain are in the other group and I think they can win the World Cup, but the favourite does not always emerge victorious at the end.”
One of his companions in the Azzurri defence in South Africa is set to be Inter 18-year-old Davide Santon.
“I complimented him, but the wonderful moments are still to come, because he has to prove himself at the highest level. I’m glad to see the Italian youth sector is churning out great talents.”
Cannavaro is making his return to Serie A this season for Juventus, where his former teammate Ciro Ferrara will be the Coach.
“In a month, Ferrara’s life has changed. He has the experience and quality to do well,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.
“With Ferrara, Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and Leonardo at Milan, there are many young tacticians leading the big teams. It is a path I really like, bringing in fresh ideas.
“It is disappointing to return to Turin and not find [Pavel] Nedved, but he must be thanked for everything he has given this team.”
Many fans at Juventus have protested the decision to bring back Cannavaro, who walked away in the Calciopoli scandal of 2006 to avoid a spell in Serie B.
“They only remember what happened when I left, not everything that came before it,” noted the former Real Madrid centre-back.
“Everyone is free to jeer or cheer me, however they see fit. For me Juve have the same aura as Real Madrid, both clubs who look to the future.”
Cannavaro concedes his first choice would have been another return to the San Paolo, where he started his career, but President Aurelio De Laurentiis considered him too old.
“I would’ve liked to play in my hometown again, but I wish Napoli all the best.”
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