In 2006 Fabio Cannavaro captained Italy to the World Cup in Germany and was then named the best player in the world. Not the best defender. The best player.
He won the Ballon d'Or that year, the only defender to win it in the 21st century, and he took the FIFA World Player of the Year award as well, sweeping both of the major individual prizes. He finished ahead of Ronaldinho, Henry and every other attacking star of the time.
How did a 5'9" centre-back do it?
With timing. Cannavaro stood 5'9", short for his position, yet he was one of the best aerial defenders in the world. He read the flight of the ball early and jumped at exactly the right moment, and strikers a foot taller than him regularly came away with nothing.
It is the clearest proof on this list that defending is about brains before height. He showed it across a long career at Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid, and he showed it most of all in Germany in the summer of 2006.
He may be the finest Italian World Cup captain of the modern era. He is certainly our number 15.
Next up tomorrow: number 14.
