Cannavaro named Uzbekistan coach ahead of nation's World Cup debut

Former Italy World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has been named as the new head coach of Uzbekistan, the Central Asian country's football association announced on Monday.

It is the second time that the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner has taken charge of a national team have coached China for two matches -- both defeats --- in early 2019 before stepping down.

"The Uzbekistan Football Association has signed a contract with Fabio Cannavaro -— a renowned specialist, one of the best defenders of his generation, a four-time World Cup participant, and the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup," the Uzbek football association said in an Instagram post also shared on Cannavaro's official account.

"The Italian coach will lead our national team in preparation for the upcoming World Cup, which will take place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico."

Uzbekistan have qualified for the World Cup for the first time.

Timur Kapadze, who guided Uzbekistan through the final part of their successful World Cup qualifying campaign, is rumoured to be remaining on as part of Cannavaro's backroom staff, according to press reports.

Cannavaro made his name as a rugged centre-back first with Parma and then Juventus, where he twice won the Italian Serie A title -- although those were later rescinded over the Calciopoli scandal.

He moved on to Real Madrid where he won La Liga twice and then returned to Juventus for a season before ending his career in Dubai.

As a coach he has had a nomadic career, taking over teams in China, Saudi Arabia and Croatia, as well as his homeland.

His most successful experience was winning the Chinese Super League with Guangzhou Evergrande in 2019 -- the year he briefly doubled up as China's national team coach.