Fabio Cannavaro Holds Bizarre Ballon d'Or Record Ronaldo and Messi Never Could

Fabio Cannavaro holds a strange Ballon d'Or Record that even Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could never achieve.

The defender spent most of his career in Italy, playing for Napoli, Inter Milan and Juventus, before moving to Real Madrid.

His greatest moment came in 2006, when he captained Italy to World Cup glory.

Italy conceded just two goals across the whole tournament, keeping five clean sheets, as they defeated France in the final.

That year Cannavaro lifted the Ballon d'Or, becoming only the third defender in history to do so after Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.

Since then, the trophy has been dominated by Ronaldo and Messi, who, between them, have won the prize 13 times.

But Cannavaro holds a unique record, as the only player to ever win the Ballon d'Or in the same season where his club were relegated.

Fabio Cannavaro lifting the 2006 World Cup with Italy. (Image: Richard Sellers/Allstar / Contributor via Getty)

Juventus won two consecutive league titles in 2005 and 2006, but they were stripped of them and relegated to Serie B following the Calciopoli scandal.

Some players, including Gianluigi Buffon, stayed to guide Juventus back to the top flight, but many, including Cannavaro, departed.

He joined Real Madrid for €7 million and spent three seasons in the Spanish capital, winning two La Liga titles during that time.

After three years, he returned to Juventus on a free contract, but his second spell lasted only one season.

Cannavaro is one of several high-profile players, including Zinedine Zidane, Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata, to have played for both Juventus and Real Madrid.

Cannavaro during his Real Madrid days in 2006. (Image: Etsuo Hara / Contributor via Getty)

Those clubs will meet on Wednesday, October 22, at the Santiago Bernabeu in the UEFA Champions League.

Real Madrid have made a strong start in the competition, beating Marseille 2-1, before thrashing Kairat Almaty 5-0.

Juventus, meanwhile, are winless, following up a 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund, with a 2-2 against Villareal.

Real Madrid will be strong favourites, particularly with Kylian Mbappe continuing his outstanding form with another goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Getafe.

The Frenchman has now scored 10 league goals in the opening nine games, becoming the first Real Madrid player to do so since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014/15.

Mbappe has also been devastating in Europe, scoring a brace against Marseille before bagging a hat trick in Kazakhstan.

The task of stopping Mbappe will likely fall to Daniele Rugani and the former Bournemouth and Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly.

Igor Tudor's side fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat over the weekend against Como.

Although Juventus executives have said they will keep faith with Tudor, he is under pressure and a result against Madrid could be vital for his future.