Legendary defender Fabio Cannavaro reveals he was close to signing for Chelsea in 2006

Former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is the only defender to win the Ballon d'Or in the 21st century and the third in the history of the sport. He won it in 2006, after leading Italy to the World Cup title and it was also the time that he made his move away from Juventus to Real Madrid. The former Italian skipper revealed in an interview recently that he was 'close' to signing a deal to join Premier League outfit, Chelsea.

In 2006, before winning the FIFA World Cup, Cannavaro had won the Serie A with Juventus, but they embroiled in a massive match-fixing scam that saw the league title stripped away and they were relegated. After winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy, Cannavaro wanted to leave the Old Lady and he had many options including Real Madrid and Chelsea. But the then Italian skipper decided to go with the Blancos because their head coach was Italian tactician Fabio Capel

"I was close to signing (for Chelsea) when I was at Juventus. A friend of mine called me and asked me if I would go to Chelsea. I knew they were interested but in the end, I moved to Madrid, and of course, Fabio Capello was there," Cannavaro told The Telegraph.

Fabio Cannavaro wins Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of Year 2006

After deciding to join Spanish giants Real Madrid, Cannavaro was awarded the Ballon d'Or for his performances that year and subsequently also awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year as well. He became the only defender ever to win the latter. By the end of the 2006-07 season, he helped Madrid to the La Liga title. He then went on to win the league title again the next season. But in the 2009-10 season, he decided to head back to his former club Juventus. On his final match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, he was given a massive standing ovation from the fans and left as a favourite. Cannavaro has since then coached the Chinese national team as well as various clubs in the Chinese Super League.

(Image: AP)