00:05In late 2025, after already qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, debutants Uzbekistan took
00:13the surprising step of appointing Fabio Cannavaro as their new head coach.
00:20The majority of qualification was overseen by Slovenian Sreksko Katanec, but he resigned
00:26in January 2025 with health problems.
00:31Timur Kapadza, one of Uzbekistan's most decorated former players, took the reins on an interim
00:37basis, going unbeaten during eight matches in the dugout.
00:42It was the fourth time Kapadza had stepped into the breach for the White Wolves.
00:48But the Uzbekistan FA decided the team required a more experienced leader in preparation for
00:53their maiden World Cup, and so called upon the man who skippered Italy to glory in 2006.
01:04Cannavaro's playing career was staggering.
01:06Despite measuring just 5'9", he was the defining central defender of the 2000s.
01:14He lifted trophies with Parma, Juventus and Real Madrid, and performed so heroically for
01:42years.
01:43He began in Dubai, then took root in China, where he helped Tianjin Kuanjian gain promotion to
01:49the Chinese Super League.
01:53The move to powerhouses Guangzhou Evergrande followed, and the Italian looked to be blossoming
01:58into a future star, winning the Chinese Super League in 2019.
02:05That same year, he also combined club responsibilities with those of the Chinese national team.
02:11But the experiment was abandoned after just two matches.
02:17Cannavaro's tenure then became affected by the economic instability undermining Chinese football.
02:23And he left Guangzhou in 2021, as the crisis precipitated the financial collapse of the club.
02:32But despite an impressive five-year body of work, and a stellar playing career, it took Cannavaro a year to
02:38find another job.
02:39And that was at Tiny Benevento in Italy's Serie B, where he lasted just 17 matches, winning only three.
02:50After another year on the sidelines, Udinese took a punt.
02:54But that project lasted just six matches, followed by a four-month stint with Dinamar Zagreb.
03:03So when Uzbekistan made their appointment, it came out of the blue.
03:10It means the Italian will be one of the most watched managers on display in North America.
03:15Should he fail, he will be seen as a massive, unnecessary gamble by the Central Asian nation.
03:22Should he succeed, he will be seen as a masterstruck, and showcased the managerial acumen of one of the World
03:28Cup's most enduring figures.
03:3220 years ago, Fabio Cannavaro defined himself as a footballer on the game's greatest stage.
03:38In North America, he gets to do it all again, as a manager.
03:42In North America, the United States of America, over 1,000, $2,000.
03:43All in North America, over 1,000, $2,000, $3,000.
03:44In them now, the people who want the Historian to be seen as a member of the World Cup's most
03:45trials,
03:45the job of the World Cup's most eligible for the World Cup's most likely to be considered by the World
03:45Cup's most likely to be considered by the World Cup's most likely to be considered.
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