Cannavaro: Managing the Italy National Team Is My Dream

Fabio Cannavaro revealed that his biggest goal is to manage the Italy national team. The captain who won the World Cup spoke on Sky Sport Italia's Calcio Unplugged programme. He is currently in charge of the Uzbekistan national team, which he took to the World Cup for the first time this summer.

Cannavaro noted that his only job in Serie A was at Udinese. Appointed with five matches left in the 2023/24 season, the coach kept the team in the league. Despite this, he was not kept on. He said the decision was not explained to him, but that he accepted it.

Udinese had dismissed Kosta Runjaic and replaced him with Paolo Zanetti. The 53-year-old Cannavaro recalled that he had previously managed Al-Nassr, Guangzhou Evergrande and the China national team. He said his international experience has developed him as a person and a coach, and that he would make the same decisions again.

His future in Uzbekistan became uncertain after the postponement of the Asian Cup. Cannavaro said he had spoken with the country's president and was happy with the experience. However, he added that he wants to keep working. Noting that Uzbekistan has invested heavily in its youth development system, Cannavaro said that in the latest camp he had a 17-year-old player make his national team debut.

He also expressed that he misses the daily rhythm of club football. He said that a coach working with a player every day, trying to develop him and preparing for matches, gives him energy. He noted that managing a national team is a short and intense job. He stressed that within about ten days, one must find solutions without making mistakes.