INTERVIEW: Italy great Cannavaro proud to visit Al Ahly headquarters

Italy football great Fabio Cannavaro said he was proud to visit Al Ahly SC headquarters during a stop of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour in Egypt.

Speaking exclusively, Cannavaro - who captained Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and won the Ballon d’Or the same year - praised the African champions’ history and global fan base.

“Al Ahly is a big club in Africa and everyone knows it,” Cannavaro said. “Thanks to its history, its fans are known around the world. It is an honour for me to be here and to visit its historic stadium.”

The former defender said he had watched archival footage of a 1954 World Cup qualifying match between Egypt and Italy, which was played at Al Ahly’s El Tetch Stadium.

“Of course, the atmosphere and the stadium were different, and we won 2-1,” Cannavaro said. “Giampiero Boniperti, one of the legends of Italian football, was present at the time. It is always good to face teams from different countries.”

“Football is my life, and everyone knows that,” he added. “It’s wonderful to be here and to feel such positive energy. I hope to visit many places in Egypt.”

Al Ahly welcomed a FIFA delegation that included Cannavaro as Egypt hosted the second stop of the World Cup Trophy Tour ahead of this year’s tournament, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada in June.

The tour takes the original World Cup trophy to 30 countries across 75 stops worldwide as part of FIFA’s promotional build-up to the tournament.