Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro, has revealed that he turned down an opportunity to manage Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, opting instead to wait for potential offers from European clubs.
Cannavaro disclosed this in a recent interview with Italian paper, La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I had offers from Nigeria [national team] and Iranian clubs, but I want to wait for Serie A and European clubs until December. After that, I may start travelling again,” he said.
The former defender, who left his position at Udinese in May, expressed his intention to explore opportunities closer to home before considering roles outside.
“Udinese are doing as well as I expected because they are strong,” he noted, reflecting on his previous club’s performance.
Cannavaro, the last Italian to win the Ballon d’Or in 2006, also shared his thoughts on the current state of Italian football.
Regarding the absence of Italian players in the top 30 Ballon d’Or list for 2024, he stated, “I expected it after the Euros, it’s fair. However, we should not tear our clothes in despair now. We haven’t seen this crisis for years. Simply, we must do again the things that made us win in the past.”
The Super Eagles job became vacant after Finidi George resigned his appointment last June over plans by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to appoint a foreign technical adviser.
While there were reported talks with French coach Herve Renard and Swede Janne Andersson, the NFF announced the appointment of German Bruno Labbadia as the new Super Eagles coach.
However, Labbadia stepped down days later, with the NFF citing disagreements over his tax requirements.
