Italy’s World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has been voted Fifa World Player of the Year.
The award is decided by votes from national team coaches and captains and Cannavaro beat three-time winner Zinedine Zidane and reigning champion Ronaldinho.
Real Madrid central defender Cannavaro was crowned European Footballer of the Year in November and last week won the World Soccer World Player of the Year award.
“It’s a great honour for me to be here because it has been an incredible season,” said Cannavaro.
“The competition is scary, so strong. It’s not usual for a defender to sit between Ronaldinho and Zidane.
“Of course it must be a great compliment for the coaches I’ve had this year.
“It also underscores the way I am playing – and look at the matches we are playing in the teams I’ve had, and at Real.
“I can’t ask for anything else, with the World Cup and Golden Ball award – you can’t do any better than that.”
“I would like to dedicate this award to Italian football,” Cannavaro said. “Everyone knows that we have had problems, and this should be a moment of rebirth for Italian football,” he said.
Brazil’s Marta won the women’s award ahead of Germany’s Renate Lingor and Kristine Lilly of the USA.
The Yashin award for the best goalkeeper of the World Cup was presented to Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon.
Zidane won the Adidas Golden Ball Award, presented to the outstanding player from the World Cup finals, while Germany’s Miroslav Klose collected the Adidas Golden Shoe Award, as the leading scorer in the finals.
The FIFA Presidential Award was given posthumously to former Italy defender Giacinto Facchetti, who died in September this year.
