Cannavaro's golden settlement

Nominated for the Dream Team Ballon d'Or, in the position of left-handed central for his career between 1992 and 2011 (competes against Baresi, Bobby Moore, Beckenbauer, Passarella, Matthias Sammer, Marcel Desailly, Gaetano Scirea, Ronald Koeman and Sergio Ramos), Fabio Cannavaro will always be remembered as the captain and leader of the Italy team that won the 2006 World Cup. But today, as a manager, he is having a hard time savoring success. His second stint at Guangzhou Evergrande could end with a golden settlement for the Italian, who would charge around 24.7 million euros for the two years of his remaining contract with the Chinese club.

Eliminated from the group stage of the Asian Confederation Champions League and without the title of the Chinese Super League, Cannavaro ends this 2020 in a delicate situation. The distrust that exists around the Italian is such that the Chinese media warn that the arrival of international veteran Zheng Zhi, Through the club's owner (Xu Jiayin), this is an indirect move to oust Fabio Cannavaro (who signed in 2017 as a replacement for Luiz Filipe Scolari). The Italian landed in the best team in China (Champions of the Champions in 2013 and 2015) after a historic stage in Tianjin, where in two years he achieved promotion to the Super League and qualification for the Champions League.

Such was the showcase for Fabio Cannavaro at Guangzhou that the Chinese Federation hired him as coach in 2019, alternating his technical position also in the Chinese team, replacing Marcelo Lippi. It lasted only two games (two defeats). He resigned due to the impossibility of alternating the two positions. He was already in the eye of the hurricane last year, but in the end the conquest of the league title saved him. But this year he has not suffered the same fate.

According to the newspaper Yangcheng Evening News, located in Guangzhou, Fabio's cardinal sins were his results: the worst manager since the Evergrande Group joined the club in 2010 as Guangzhou had always won the Chinese League until the Italian's arrival. What they do not forgive him in the city in southern China is that in two of his three seasons the team has finished in second place. The elimination in the Asian Champions League, after drawing against Suwon Samsung Bluewings, in the last game of the group stage, was the last straw.

At the moment, the Italian is in his country awaiting news. In China they speculate with an imminent dismissal. “I like Klopp's mentality and Guardiola's sports culture, he always puts intensity in his teams, with and without the ball”, The ex-Madridista said in an interview, who has never hidden his desire to direct in Europe. Your cover letter, at the moment, is not the brightest. But at least he has the consolation of a millionaire settlement and enjoying the family saga: one of his sons plays for Lazio and the other two for Saussolo.