Twenty years after lifting the World Cup trophy as Italy’s captain, superstar Fabio Cannavaro is now back at the world's most important tournament, guiding Uzbekistan towards its first appearance on football's biggest stage.
“It's the first time we are going to the World Cup, it's the first time I am coaching in this kind of tournament,” Cannavaro told Euronews in an exclusive interview.
“I saw many players with great ambition. They want to learn, improve, work hard and of course we have nothing to lose.”
For the Central Asian country of some 36 million, qualifying for the tournament marked a historic breakthrough after decades of near misses.
Uzbekistan now faces a tough group including DR Congo, Colombia with James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz, and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. But Cannavaro believes the unpredictability of the World Cup is what makes anyone able to stand up to the giants.
