The captain of the World Cup-winning Italy team Fabio Cannavaro has reportedly been voted 2006 European Footballer of the Year.
France Football, the magazine that organizes the Ballon d'Or award, will officially announce the winner on November 27, but reliable sources say Cannavaro has taken the prize, according to the Italian and Spanish media.
If the reports are confirmed, the Real Madrid defender will become the fifth Italian to take the prestigious Golden Ball.
Cannavaro, 33, follows Azzurri greats Roberto Baggio, who won the prize in 1993, Paolo Rossi (1982), Gianni Rivera (1969) and Argentine-Italian Omar Sivori (1961).
"It would be a dream come true," was the player's comment on the leaks.
He would be only the third defender to be crowned European Footballer of the Year, after Germany's Matthias Sammer (1996) and Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976). The triumph is largely down to his performances at Germany 2006, where he barely put a foot wrong as he led the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup.
Cannavaro was reportedly run close by Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the Ballon d'Or poll of top European sports journalists.
"I'm happy for Fabio, but a little sorry for Buffon," said Inter Milan's Marco Materazzi, Cannavaro's companion in the centre of the Italy back-four at the World Cup.
"If it had been the other way around though, I'd be sorry for Fabio. "I feel that part of this award is mine, because I think the whole Azzurri squad helped a great champion like Cannavaro to win the sport's most important (individual) prize". Italian Soccer League President Antonio Matarrese echoed those sentiments.
"The prize was won by the Italian national team and then given to the captain," said Matarrese.
"It is recognition of the work done by (former Azzurri coach Marcello) Lippi, by the team and by the whole of Italian soccer".
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. The Neapolitan has been a regular feature in the Azzurri set-up since he made his debut in 1997. With 105 international appearances, he 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.
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.
He has played for Napoli, Parma, Inter, Juventus and his current club, 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).
Cannavaro is also among the favourites for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year prize, which will be awarded at a ceremony on 18 December in Zurich.
