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ZURICH - Italy's soccer World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro added another trophy to his haul on Monday when he was named Fifa world player of the year.
The 33-year-old Real Madrid defender beat off competition from Barcelona's Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho and retired former France skipper Zinedine Zidane in
a vote by national team coaches and captains.
Cannavaro, the first defender to win the trophy in its 16-year history, adds the honour to the prestigious European footballer of the year award he received from France Football magazine last month.
"The competition was scary, it was so strong," said Cannavaro at the awards ceremony inside Zurich's opera house.
"After winning the World Cup and the European Footballer of the Year award too, I do not think I can ask for anything else.
"It is not usual for a defender to be sitting alongside Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane, who get to do marvellous things all season, so I saw it as a victory just to be here."
Cannavaro paid tribute to Zidane, his predecessor in the number five shirt at Real and a controversial choice on the award shortlist following his red card in the World Cup final in Berlin.
"When I first came to Real everybody asked me what it meant to be wearing the same shirt," said the Italian.
"I can only say now what I said then, it is an honour to wear the same number as such a great player."
Like Zidane, Cannavaro has been involved in a fair share of controversy this year, not least when he helped Juventus win a second successive Serie A title only for the club to be stripped of the crown and relegated following a probe into alleged match-fixing.
Italy's World Cup success was achieved against the backdrop of that investigation and Cannavaro went into the tournament facing criticism after he defended former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, who was at the centre of the allegations.
There was also criticism of his short-listing for the European and World Player awards, with several leading managers and players arguing his nominations owed more to Italy's resolute defending in one month in Germany than to his achievements for club and country over the course of the year.
Despite failing to win a third consecutive world player award and having to battle jet-lag after flying from Barcelona's Club World Cup final defeat in Japan, Ronaldinho was wearing his trademark grin.
"It is a privilege to be sitting here next to Cannavaro," said Ronaldinho.
"I already feel like a winner because the nomination is a reward for my career so far. Now I just want to help my team and do so in such a way that I can make it to Zurich every year."
Fifa world player of the year winners:
1991 - Lothar Matthaeus (Germany) Inter Milan
1992 - Marco van Basten (Netherlands) AC Milan
1993 - Roberto Baggio (Italy) Juventus
1994 - Romario (Brazil) Barcelona
1995 - George Weah (Liberia) AC Milan
1996 - Ronaldo (Brazil) Barcelona
1997 - Ronaldo Inter Milan
1998 - Zinedine Zidane (France) Juventus
1999 - Rivaldo (Brazil) Barcelona
2000 - Zidane Juventus
2001 - Luis Figo (Portugal) Real Madrid
2002 - Ronaldo Real Madrid
2003 - Zidane Real Madrid
2004 - Ronaldinho (Brazil) Barcelona
2005 - Ronaldinho Barcelona
2006 - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) Real Madrid
- REUTERS