Fabio Cannavaro has been speaking to FourFourTwo about how Alan Shearer was one of the best forwards that he ever faced.
Cannavaro was the last defender to win the Ballon d'Or, facing some of the greatest strikers of all time during Serie A's golden era. But more than just playing against Italy's best, he held his own against some of the Premier League's best players.
When FFT asked the former Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan and Juventus star about Alan Shearer, he waxed lyrical about facing the all-time Premier League scorer both at club and international level.
"Alan Shearer was a fantastic striker and in those days, everyone would play aggressively," he says. "You would play hard and you would be treated hard – that was common."
In one Champions League fixture, Shearer elbowed Cannavaro – but now, the Italian says that he doesn't believe the incident was deliberate.
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"It was not a problem at all," Cannavaro says. "He had nothing against me, and I don’t think he did that on purpose – not at all. There was mutual respect, and if he says it was accidental, I fully trust him. I never had the chance to discuss it with him, but I am sure he would reiterate what he already said."
On his first international start for Italy, Cannavaro faced Shearer away from home. The defender ended up winning the game but still reiterates that the Newcastle United striker was one of his toughest opponents ever.
"In 1997 we came away from Wembley with a win and I had a fantastic game that day, in my first match as a starter for the Azzurri," he says. "He was a top player at his peak – one of the best strikers I ever faced.
"Stats don’t lie and his speak a clear language."
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