Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed that Guangzhou FC's head coach Carlo Cannavaro is about to be honored with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
The honor was bestowed at the initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recognition of Cannavaro's outstanding contribution to the promotion of Italy's international influence.In 2019, he took charge of Guangzhou Evergrande and led the team to the Chinese Super League title, the first top-flight title win of his coaching career, thus earning him the distinction of being a member of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
As a player, Cannavaro's honor roll has been filled with many glories. He led the Italy national soccer team to win the World Cup as captain and became the first defender to win the World Footballer of the Year, a legend that has gone down in the annals of soccer history.
Cannavaro began his coaching career at Guangzhou Evergrande, helping the team win several honors as Lippi's deputy. He then worked as a coach at Riyadh Success and Tianjin Quanjian, successfully leading Tianjin Quanjian to the Central League title and reaching the quarterfinals of the AFC East Asian Championship final.In 2017, he returned to Guangzhou Evergrande, helping the team win the Chinese Super League title and the Super Cup.
