Italy football, legend Fabio Cannavaro reveals he rejected offer to coach Super Eagles

Italian football legend and one-time Ballon d’Or winner, Fabio Cannavaro has revealed he turned down the chance to coach the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The 50-year-old was among the foreign coaches approached by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to manage the Super Eagles.

The former Juventus and Real Madrid centre-back said he is awaiting offers from clubs in Europe and Italy and that his immediate priority for now is not to work in Africa.

“I had offers from Nigeria [national team] and Iranian clubs, but I want to wait for Serie A and European clubs until December. After that, I may start travelling again,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and due to his defensive performances,  taly kept five clean sheets and conceded only two goals, neither of which were in open play. He was awarded the Silver Ball after being named the tournament’s second-best player. He was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, making him the only defender in history to have won the award.

He also 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. Last season he coached Udinese to Serie A safety.