A wall, an impenetrable fortress.

Endowed with a rare turn of pace and a ruthless sense of anticipation, Fabio Cannavaro was a tireless marker and also an ultra-modern defender, as effective at nullifying opponents as he was at marshalling the backline.

Captain of the national team that won the World Cup in 2006, he also won the Ballon d'Or after the tournament.

One of the very few defenders to achieve this.