KUALA LUMPUR: Fabio Cannavaro or fondly known as 'Muro di Berlino' (The Berlin Wall) certainly warmed up to the atmosphere in Malaysia when the Tiger Street Football ambassador made an appearance at One Utama to commemorate the start of the two-day Tiger Street Football Tournament.
The 2006 world player of the year met reporters during an exclusive interview at the shopping outlet.
Having featured with top clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus and Inter Milan, Cannavaro retired last year due to a knee injury but he stuck to his football roots.
"After retirement, I became the sports adviser for Dubai based club, Al Ahli and this year, I became the assistant coach for the club,"
Cannavaro said coaching was a different ball game.
"As a player, you think of yourself, about your life and your career.
"When you're a coach, you need to prepare lots of things, like the training and the tactical aspects for your team. It's totally different, it's a life changer for me," said the 39-year-old
Whether it's in Europe or Asia, the coaching methods are the same and is it important to be professional when it comes to coaching, he said.
"We face the same pressure like any European team. As coaches we have to be professional and make sure we can handle things well," said Cannavaro
When asked to compare between the 2006 World Cup squad and the current Italian squad, this is what he had to say,
"When we won the World Cup in 2006, we had a good set of players like (Francesco) Totti, (Alessandro) Del Piero, (Luca) Toni, (Alessandro) Nesta, (Gianluigi) Buffon, (Andrea) Pirlo and (Gennaro) Gattuso.
"We all had a good connection and now in Italy, we've got young interesting players who've made Italy a stronger side,"
However, he said it's difficult to compare the two sides as they have their own strengths and they come from two different generations.
"It's a generational change and I wish to see this team win the World Cup.
"However, we can't compare the 2006 side and the current side because it's two different generations," he said
According to Cannavaro, the toughest player he faced in his entire career was former Brazilian striker Ronaldo.
"In my generation, he was the best player I faced. He was a menace!"
Players like Cannavaro, Paulo Maldini, Alessandro Del Piero and Alessandro Costacurta have played football at an age where most professional footballers retire.
Throughout his career, many ladies have casted an eye due to his good looks and when asked how he handles that pressure, he says it's part and parcel of a footballer's life.
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