"and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He is currently Italy's second all-time appearance holder, behind Gianluigi Buffon. Cannavaro was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the Ballon d'Or award in 2006 which made him the only defender to win the award in a decade and only the third of all time after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer. In 2006 and 2007 Cannavaro was named in the FIFA World XI. In 2007, he was in the six man shortlist for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. His younger brother Paolo was also a professional footballer,"
"2006 Ballon d'Or The 2006 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the Italy Defender Fabio Cannavaro on 27 November 2006. On 16 October 2006, was announced the shortlist of 50 male players compiled by a group of experts from ""France Football"". There were 52 voters, from Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova,"
"retirement of the jersey number six of that national team and Juventus in recognition of Scirea's career. The south stand in Juventus' home ground Juventus Stadium, as well as the one in the former Stadio delle Alpi, is known as the ""Curva Scirea"" and it is occupied by the Juventus Ultras. !colspan=""3"" style=""background:#C1D8FF;""| World Cup-winners status Gaetano Scirea Gaetano Scirea (; 25 May 1953 – 3 September 1989) was an Italian professional footballer who is considered one of the greatest defenders of all-time. Scirea is one of only five players in history to have won all international trophies for football"
"24 men were originally in contention for the 2006 Ballon d’Or, but did not receive any votes: 2006 Ballon d'Or The 2006 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to the Italy Defender Fabio Cannavaro on 27 November 2006. On 16 October 2006, was announced the shortlist of 50 male players compiled by a group of experts from ""France Football"". There were 52 voters, from Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands,"
"national football team goalkeeper and 2006 World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon, who also made his Serie A debut as a teenager. Regarded as one of the most promising young players of his generation, in 2014 Don Balón listed him as one of the top 100 young players in the world. Simone Scuffet Simone Scuffet (; born 31 May 1996) is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Udinese. An Udinese youth product, Scuffet made his first team debut on 1 February 2014 at the age of 17 in a Serie A match against Bologna, as"
"then served as second goalkeeper (behind Buffon) in the 2006 World Cup under Marcello Lippi, as Italy won the tournament for the fourth time. Even though he did not take the field, teammate Daniele De Rossi highlighted Peruzzi's important role in the squad as a key dressing room personality, due to his leadership and experience. Peruzzi retired from international football after the tournament. A powerful, athletic, complete, and consistent goalkeeper – although injury-prone –, Peruzzi was renowned for his physical strength, positioning, explosive reactions, speed, and agility, in spite of his sturdy physique; he particularly excelled at rushing off his"
"were subject to a hearing by the Italian Football Federation over links to the Esposito brothers, high-ranking members of the Camorra. Paolo Cannavaro Paolo Cannavaro (; born 26 June 1981) is an Italian retired professional footballer who played as a defender. After beginning his career with Napoli, he moved to Parma in 1999, where he played alongside his older brother, 2006 FIFA World Cup and Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro, who was also a defender, and who currently coaches Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. Paolo remained with the club for seven seasons, aside from a loan spell with Verona during the"
"line-up in January 2006, in a Coppa Italia match against Fiorentina. Juventus were, however, once again knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by runners-up Arsenal, and in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia on away goals to eventual runners-up Roma. Buffon was named IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper for the third time in his career and Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the sixth time. He was also placed second in the 2006 Ballon d'Or and eighth in the FIFA World Player of the Year Award behind his winning Italy teammate Fabio Cannavaro, and was elected as"
"Italy, completing 211 passes and winning 16 challenges. Even with usual defensive partner Alessandro Nesta out due to injury, the Italian defence kept a record five clean sheets and conceded only two goals throughout the entire tournament: an own-goal against the United States and a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the final against France. Cannavaro's leadership and marshalling of the Italian defence throughout their march to the final earned him a place in the All-Star Team at the end of the competition (awarded by FIFA's Technical Study Group) alongside six other Italian teammates: Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo,"
"midfield, who started the play that led to Italy's second goal, which was scored by Alessandro Del Piero from an assist by Alberto Gilardino. However, Cannavaro's crowning moment was lifting the World Cup trophy on 9 July 2006, the night of his 100th cap. Cannavaro did not receive a single yellow or red card during the 690 minutes he played in the tournament. His defensive performance in the final earned him the nickname of ""Wall of Berlin"", as the final was played in Berlin. Along with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, Cannavaro played each minute of every match in the tournament for"
"perfect.” Ronaldo was also a strong and powerful player who could shield the ball from the opposition, with former Italian defender Alessandro Nesta (who faced Ronaldo in a high-profile one on one duel in the 1998 UEFA Cup final which was billed as “the best attacker against the best defender in Serie A”) stating: ""It was the worst experience of my career. Ronaldo is the hardest attacker I've ever had to face. He was impossible to stop."" Asked who was the toughest opponent of his career, 2006 world player of the year Fabio Cannavaro responded, “I have no doubt, Ronaldo,"
"Paolo Cannavaro Paolo Cannavaro (; born 26 June 1981) is an Italian retired professional footballer who played as a defender. After beginning his career with Napoli, he moved to Parma in 1999, where he played alongside his older brother, 2006 FIFA World Cup and Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro, who was also a defender, and who currently coaches Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. Paolo remained with the club for seven seasons, aside from a loan spell with Verona during the 2001–02 season, helping the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2005. In 2006, he returned to Napoli, where"
"with Sweden and Denmark. Buffon was once again the first choice goalkeeper under his former Juventus coach and Trapattoni's replacement Marcello Lippi, as Italy finished first in their 2006 World Cup qualifying group. Although his place in Italy's 2006 World Cup was initially in doubt, as he was being investigated for possible involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, he was later named by Lippi as Italy's starting goalkeeper for the tournament. During the 2006 World Cup finals, Buffon was in excellent form, setting a World Cup record by conceding just two goals in seven matches, and keeping five clean sheets."
"season, he was also paired with club icons Paolo Montero and Ciro Ferrara. Cannavaro also won four ""Oscar del Calcio"" awards, the Italian Football Oscars, for his exceptional seasons with the Turin giants, winning the 2005 defender of the year, the 2006 defender of the year award, the 2006 Italian player of the year and the 2006 player of the year. After the 2006 World Cup, the ""Calciopoli"" trial verdicts relegated Juventus to Serie B. Since Juventus were ineligible to qualify for the Champions League, Cannavaro decided to leave. ""Even if I know this may be hard to believe, I"
"was the starting goalkeeper of the squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He also represented Italy at four European Championships, at the 1996 Olympics, and at two FIFA Confederations Cups, winning a bronze medal in the 2013 edition of the tournament. He retired from international football in 2017, after Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, although he later came out of retirement for the team's friendlies the following year, before officially confirming his international retirement in May 2018. Buffon was the runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 2006, and was elected to"
"Zealand later that day. <br> Roberto Rosato Roberto Rosato (; 18 August 1943 – 20 June 2010) was an Italian footballer, who played as a defender. A strong, hard-tackling, and reliable centre-back, he is regarded as one of Italy's greatest defenders. Rosato played for four different Italian clubs throughout his career, but is mainly remembered for his successful stint with A.C. Milan, where he won several domestic and international titles. At international level, he represented Italy in two FIFA World Cups, reaching the final in 1970, and won UEFA Euro 1968. Rosato played for 15 seasons (351 games, 10 goals)"
"final score favouring the Italians 4–2, Italy became the first team to successfully defend the title (and the first team to win the title on foreign soil) and were once more crowned World Cup winners. The last survivor of the game was Italy's Pietro Rava, who died on 5 November 2006 at the age of 90. After 6 minutes, Gino Colaussi opened the scoring for Italy, before Pál Titkos equalised for the Hungarians two minutes later. However, Italy quickly regained the lead eight minutes later with a goal from Silvio Piola. In the 35th minute, Italy extended their lead to"
"2006 FIFA World Cup by Lippi, playing a key role throughout the tournament as the Italians went on to win the title. In injury time of the round of 16 fixture against Australia, with the score tied at 0–0, Grosso advanced with the ball into the box from the left flank and was fouled in the penalty area by Lucas Neill, who went to ground, causing Grosso to stumble. Francesco Totti subsequently converted the decisive penalty issued by referee Luis Medina Cantalejo, as a ten-man Italy won the match 1–0 to advance to the quarter-finals. However, Grosso was accused of"
"the best players of all time in his position, due to his pace, technique, intelligence, physique, and stamina, and formed a formidable defensive partnership with fellow full-back Tarcisio Burgnich in Inter's defensive ""catenaccio"" system at club level, as well as with the Italian national side. In addition to his playing ability, Facchetti also stood out for his discipline and leadership throughout his career, and served both as Inter's and Italy's captain for several years. In March 2004, Pelé named him one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebrations. Following Facchetti's death in 2006,"
"is currently his teammate as well. Since childhood, he has supported Milan, although he grew up idolising Gianluigi Buffon. Gianluigi Donnarumma Gianluigi Donnarumma (; born 25 February 1999) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Milan and the Italy national team. He began his career with Milan in 2015, becoming the second-youngest goalkeeper ever to debut in Serie A, aged 16 years and 242 days; he immediately broke into the starting line-up, earning a reputation as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the world. He also broke the record as the"
"duo Vincenzo Montella and Francesco Totti. A notable incident during the season was referee Anders Frisk being hit by a coin in a Champions League fixture against Dynamo Kyiv, as Roma crashed out of the tournament in its initial phase. Another intrigue was the tug of war between captain Francesco Totti and young pretender Antonio Cassano, a battle Cassano lost. Due to Roma's transfer ban, the club could not get rid of Cassano until January 2006, when Real Madrid bought him. ! colspan=14 style=""background:#B21B1C; color:#FFD700; text-align:center""| Goalkeepers ! colspan=14 style=""background:#B21B1C; color:#FFD700; text-align:center""| Defenders ! colspan=14 style=""background:#B21B1C; color:#FFD700; text-align:center""| Midfielders !"
"2006 FIFA World Cup Final The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 9 July 2006 at the Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany, to determine the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Italy beat France 5–3 on penalties after the match finished 1–1 after extra time. France's Zinedine Zidane was sent off in his last-ever match, for headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi's chest in retaliation to Materazzi's verbal provocation. It was the first final since 1978 in which neither Germany nor Brazil competed (and the second since 1938); it was also the first all-European final since"
"perceived career rival, Ghezzi. Lorenzo Buffon Lorenzo Buffon (; born 19 December 1929) is an Italian former football goalkeeper. Throughout his career, he played 277 times for Italian club A.C. Milan, and also later played for their city rivals Internazionale, as well as other Italian clubs, winning five Serie A titles. At international he was capped for the Italian international side on 15 occasions, representing his country at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Buffon is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, and as one of Italy's greatest ever goalkeepers. Alongside the legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin,"
"and the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 2006. Although he predominantly excelled as a centreback, due to his ability to read the game, he was also deployed as a right or left sided full back on occasion, in particular under his Inter coach Héctor Cúper. This was made possible due to Cannavaro's tactical intelligence, versatility, technical ability, ball playing ability, stamina, low centre of gravity and pace, which also enabled him to start plays from the backline after winning back possession. As a defender, Cannavaro was known in particular for his concentration, anticipation, awareness and positional sense."
"saves when necessary due to his agility and athleticism. Giovanni Viola Giovanni Viola (20 June 1926 – 7 July 2008) was an Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Although he represented several Italian clubs throughout his career, he is mostly remembered for his successful stint with Juventus, where he won three Serie A titles. At international level, he represented the Italy national football team at the 1954 FIFA World Cup. During his club career, Viola played for Italian side Juventus from 1945 to 1958. He was brought in as a replacement for Lucidio Sentimenti (IV), and made 246 appearances"
"not called up for warm-up friendlies ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He received his last call-up to date on 16 August 2006, Italy's first match after the 2006 World Cup. Flavio Roma Flavio Roma (born 21 June 1974) is an Italian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Roma started his career in the youth teams of Lazio. He was the third goalkeeper behind Luca Marchegiani and Fernando Orsi before leaving the club to play for clubs in Serie B and Serie C1. In 1999, he was signed by the Serie A side Piacenza as part of Simone"
"goals were scored by 110 players, with four of them credited as own goals. FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) also granted a Man of the Match award to one player in each match. Italy's Andrea Pirlo won the most Man of the Match awards, with three in total. Miroslav Klose, Agustin Delgado, Arjen Robben, Zé Roberto, Alexander Frei, Michael Ballack, and Patrick Vieira each received two awards. The All-star team is a squad consisting of the 23 most impressive players at the 2006 World Cup, as selected by FIFA's Technical Study Group. The team was chosen from a shortlist of"
"and in the UEFA Team of the Year; he also holds the record for the most IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Awards, alongside Buffon, winning the Award for five consecutive years between 2008–2012. Casillas also holds the record for the most clean-sheets in UEFA Champions League history. At international level, Dino Zoff is the goalkeeper who has remained unbeaten for the longest period of time, whilst Walter Zenga holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in a FIFA World Cup tournament, as he went unbeaten for 517 minutes in the 1990 edition of the tournament. Gianluigi Buffon, Fabien Barthez and"
"utilised two playmakers during Italy's victorious 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign, fielding Francesco Totti in the advanced creative role behind the forwards, and Pirlo in the deep-lying playmaking role. The two playmakers were supported defensively by box-to-box midfielders, such as Daniele De Rossi, Gennaro Gattuso and Simone Perrotta; both Pirlo and Totti finished as two of the joint top-assist providers of the tournament. Former Italy manager Ferruccio Valcareggi, however, devised a different strategy altogether, which allowed him to use two playmakers during his run to the 1970 World Cup final, where Italy would be heavily defeated by Brazil, however. Due"
"a back-up to Ivan Pelizzoli in the Italy under-23 squad which won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Amelia made his senior debut for Italy at age 23, on 16 November 2005, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 friendly draw against the Ivory Coast, in Geneva. He later became a permanent member of Marcello Lippi's squad, and was called up as Italy's third goalkeeper at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, behind Gianluigi Buffon and Angelo Peruzzi, and ahead of reserve Morgan De Sanctis. Italy went on to win the tournament, although Amelia did"
"in 2017. Cannavaro has also achieved success with the Italy national team. He was part of the Italy team which won consecutive UEFA European Under-21 Championships in 1994 and 1996. After earning his first senior cap in 1997, he helped his national team to the final of UEFA Euro 2000, being named in the team of the tournament, and became captain in 2002, following Paolo Maldini's retirement. Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and was given the nickname """"Il Muro di Berlino"""" (""The Berlin Wall"") by the Italian supporters due to his defensive"
"in summer of 2006. On 17 September 2006, Pagliuca set the record for most Serie A appearances for a goalkeeper, overtaking Dino Zoff, as he started against Messina. He retired at the end of the season. After taking part in the 1990 World Cup without playing a minute, Pagliuca overtook Walter Zenga, Stefano Tacconi and Luca Marchegiani, becoming first choice goalkeeper for Italy at the 1994 World Cup under Arrigo Sacchi. He received the dubious honour of being the first goalkeeper to be sent off in a World Cup match, when he was dismissed for handling outside his area against"
"Ciro Ferrara Ciro Ferrara (; born 11 February 1967) is an Italian former footballer and manager. His most recent position was as manager of Wuhan Zall. He had also previously coached Juventus and the Italy national under-21 team. As an assistant coach to Marcello Lippi, he won the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy senior team. Ferrara spent his playing career as a defender, initially at Napoli and later on at Juventus, winning seven total Serie A titles as well as other domestic and international trophies. At international level, he represented Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics, at two UEFA"