Fabio Cannavaro Believes ‘Poster Boy’ Image Ended His Chances Of Becoming Italy Manager

Fabio Cannavaro believes that his ‘poster boy’ image will continue to impact his chances of becoming the next Italy manager.

Fabio Cannavaro Believes ‘Poster Boy’ Image Ended Italy Manager Chances

The Italian soccer icon was heavily linked with the Azzurri job after Luciano Spalletti was relieved of his duties, but Cannavaro was edged out by Gennaro Gattuso.

Since his retirement in March 2012, the former Azzurri star has gone on to manage in a variety of locations including Italy, China and the Middle East – but is now acting as the head coach of Uzbekistan.

Cannavaro took his latest role in October and will guide Uzbekistan into their first World Cup next year, after Timur Kapadze secured a spot in the tournament before taking the assistant role under the Italian.

However, prior to his latest appointment Cannavaro was one of the options to become the next Azzurri manager and the Italian recently revealed that his ‘poster boy’ image halted any chance of obtaining the role.

Cannavaro said: “I’ll be honest. I spoke with Buffon, but I wasn’t really in contention. I had a great past as a footballer, but maybe they saw me as a poster boy more than anything.

“I won’t give up on coaching, I will continue. I agree with Gattuso’s choices, he’s someone who studies a lot.”

Unlike Uzbekistan, Italy have not qualified for the World Cup and will face Northern Ireland in a semi final playoff on March 26th – with a host of stars at risk of missing out.

Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie has been ruled out until 2026 with an injury issue, while Sandro Tonali is also questioning his club future ahead of the World Cup playoff clash.

Gennaro Gattuso’s position is reliant on achieving World Cup qualification and failing to do so could entice Cannavaro into considering the role once again – despite recent regrets over waiting for the Italy job.

Cannavaro Reveals Career Regret

The 52-year-old was also rumored with the managerial role at Poland, but decided to turn the opportunity down in favor of waiting for the Azzurri job – something Cannavaro believes was a mistake.

When asked if he was close to becoming the next Poland manager, Cannavaro said:

“Yes, I was one step away and then said no. I didn’t feel like it, and that was a mistake, the biggest since I came back from China.

“I might have said no because I was waiting for Italy. That was my idea, but nothing came of it and then I got tired of waiting.”

Being the manager of a national team is not an easy task, as shown by Cesc Fabregas’ comments about the Senegal boss, and Cannavaro has been thrown in the deep end with Uzbekistan.

The Italian has taken charge of just four games and will head into the World Cup with very little preparation time, something that Cannavro has considered ahead of next year.

He said: “I don’t have much time and have to find solutions quickly. I’ve watched a lot of matches, I’ve toured the country. Now the league is over and we’re going to follow the other championships where Uzbek players are involved .”

Uzbekistan’s group consists of Colombia and Poland at this current moment in time, with the final spot yet to be determined – however DR Congo are the most likely candidates.