Dubai After ending speculation on his playing career in the UAE, former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro was appointed Al Ahli's global brand ambassador and technical consultant at his club yesterday.
Cannavaro first announced his retirement after nearly two decades in football and then went on to sign a three-year contract as technical consultant with his club in the presence of president Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah, Ahmad Khalifa Hamad, CEO of the club and new coach Ivan Hasek, among others.
Cannavaro, who turns 38 on September 13, cited a recurring knee injury to be behind his decision to quit playing despite still having another year left on his contract at Al Ahli.
"Injuries are part of a sportsman's life, but then life moves on. Every sportsperson in the world has to make a decision one day. And today is the day for me," Cannavaro said at the hastily arranged press conference.
The former World Player of the Year yesterday completed five years since captaining Italy to World Cup glory in Germany 2006.
‘Nothing I could do'
He said: "It's a sad day since football has been very much part of my life for the last 20 years, but then there is nothing I could do. I have decided to stop playing after a medical examination in Italy last week. Doctors have told me clearly that I can no longer play."
Cannavaro spent the majority of his career in Italy after starting in 1992 at Napoli, after which he spent seven years at Parma with whom he won two Coppa Italia titles and the Uefa Cup in 1999.
The Italian had spells at Inter Milan and Juventus after which he transferred along with manager Fabio Capello to Real Madrid with whom he won consecutive La Liga crowns in 2007 and 2008. Cannavaro returned to Juventus for the 2009-10 season after which he joined Al Ahli on a two-year contract.
Al Naboodah had hinted in an exclusive interview to Gulf News on June 18 at Cannavaro's departure from the playing side.
