Cannavaro Says He Was Afraid of France Ahead of 2006 WC Final : A memory that will remain forever in Italian memories. 17 years ago to the day, Italy rose to the top of the world by winning the 2006 World Cup organized in Germany against the French team after the penalty shootout (1-1 in 120 minutes , 5-3 on penalties).
A real return to the top after several years of scarcity for the Azzurri who had not been world champions since 1982.
At that time, the Italian selection trained by Marcello Lippi had some talented players in its ranks like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti or Fabio Cannavaro. For the latter, it was undoubtedly the most successful season of his football career.
Indeed, the former defender of Juventus greatly contributed to the success of his family. His unique performances during the 2006 World Cup earned him the nickname “Berlin Wall”.
Years later, the 49-year-old ex-international remembers this famous final against the Blues led by Zinedine Zidane.
In an interview given to Team Serie A , the 2006 Ballon d’Or winner recognized, on the day of the final at the Olympiastadion, that Italy was not starting as the favorite against France in view of previous oppositions which have most often turned to the advantage of the tricolor selection .
“When we went to shake hands with the French, at that moment I was scared. Were stronger than us on paper? Of course they were! Both physically and technically. In addition, I had already lost a final against them in Rotterdam, I had lost against them in 98 on penalties when Di Baggio missed his penalty, so I was afraid” , explained Fabio Cannavaro.
However , the Italians , who defeated the Black Stars of Ghana by 2-0 in the group stages , clinched the title with 5-3 penalty success following a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.
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