Azzurri captain Fabio Cannavaro was named the European Footballer of the Year Monday, making him the fifth Italian to claim soccer's most prestigious individual award.
The Real Madrid defender beat off competition from Italy team-mate Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus and Arsenal's France striker Thierry Henry to take the 2006 Ballon d'Or.
Cannavaro amassed 173 points in the pole of European journalists selected by France Football, the magazine that runs the award, compared to 124 for Buffon and 121 for Henry.
The triumph is largely down to Cannavaro's performances at Germany 2006, where he barely put a foot wrong as he led the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup.
"The award is fantastic, the crowning of an exceptional year," said Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi.
"Cannavaro is the captain of a fantastic group and in part he receives the prize for everyone.
"I'm not surprised a defender won. An outstanding footballer is someone who is crucial for their team, regardless of the position they play in, and that's what Cannavaro is."
The 33-year-old Neapolitan's first thoughts after winning the award were for his home town, which has been the victim of a crime wave in recent months.
"I want to take this trophy to Naples because the city is going through a difficult time," he said.
"I want to tell the Neapolitan children to believe in their dreams, because they can come true, as in my case".
He said he thought he was on an Italian celebrity version of Candid Camera when he was first given the news that he had won.
"I dedicate the prize to my wife," he continued. "She didn't believe it either when I told her".
He also said he would not have voted for himself.
"My ranking would have been Buffon first, Henry second and (AC Milan playmaker) Andrea Pirlo third," he explained.
"I'm sorry that I had to contend this prize with Gigi (Buffon), who is a friend as well as a great player. He is not only the best goalkeeper in the world, he is in a league of his own".
Cannavaro follows Azzurri greats Roberto Baggio, who won the prize in 1993, Paolo Rossi (1982), Gianni Rivera (1969) and Argentine-Italian Omar Sivori (1961).
He is only the third defender to be crowned European Footballer of the Year, after Germany's Matthias Sammer (1996) and Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976). However, Cannavaro is considered the first "out-and-out" defender to take the prize, as the two Germans also assumed midfield responsibilities.
With 105 international appearances, Cannavaro is the most capped player in the current Italy squad.
His 100th appearance for his country was the July 9 World Cup final against France in Berlin.
Cannavaro also won the Serie A championship with Juventus this year, although the club was stripped of the title and relegated to the second division for its role in the Calciopoli referee-rigging scandal.
Cannavaro has been a regular feature in the Azzurri set-up since he made his debut in 1997.
He is not the tallest central defender around (1.75m), but makes up for his lack of height with speed, timing and a fine ability to read the game.
After losing the World Cup to the Italians, several figures within French football have taken Cannavaro's triumph badly.
On Sunday Lyon coach Gerard Houllier echoed statements made last week by Michel Platini, who said Henry deserved the award more.
"It is a scandal," said the former Liverpool boss, who pointed out that Cannavaro had not made a flying start to his spell at Real Madrid.
"Year after year Henry scores 20 goals. His club reached the Champions League final and he reached the World Cup final with France scoring eight goals for Les Bleus over the season.
"He is immense, but there was a campaign against him".
Former winner Rossi expressed satisfaction Monday that "finally a defender has won" and suggested the French response was sour grapes.
"All this criticism of Cannavaro winning shows they still haven't accepted defeat in the Berlin final," said Rossi, whose goals spurred Italy to World Cup glory in 1982.
"Henry played in two finals but he lost them both and that is a key factor for the prize".
Cannavaro has played for Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid, which he joined in the summer.
As well as the 2005 and 2006 scudettos with Juventus - both of which the Turin club has been stripped of because of Calciopoli - Cannavaro won a UEFA Cup (1999) and two Italian Cups at Parma (1999 and 2002).
He won two European Championships with Italy's Under 21 team too, in 1994 and 1996.
The player, who has been nicknamed the 'handsome one' by Real Madrid fans, is also among the favourites for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year prize, which will be awarded on in Zurich on December 18.
