Fabio Cannavaro has been speaking to FourFourTwo about how Alan Shearer was one of the best forwards that he ever faced.
Cannavaro was the last defender to win the Ballon d'Or, facing some of the greatest strikers of all time during Serie A's golden era. But more than just playing against Italy's best, he held his own against some of the Premier League's best players.
When FFT asked the former Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan and Juventus star about Alan Shearer, he waxed lyrical about facing the all-time Premier League scorer both at club and international level.
"Alan Shearer was a fantastic striker and in those days, everyone would play aggressively," he says. "You would play hard and you would be treated hard – that was common."
In one Champions League fixture, Shearer elbowed Cannavaro – but now, the Italian says that he doesn't believe the incident was deliberate.
Sandro Tonali Solves Newcastle United's Biggest Problem
"It was not a problem at all," Cannavaro says. "He had nothing against me, and I don’t think he did that on purpose – not at all. There was mutual respect, and if he says it was accidental, I fully trust him. I never had the chance to discuss it with him, but I am sure he would reiterate what he already said."
On his first international start for Italy, Cannavaro faced Shearer away from home. The defender ended up winning the game but still reiterates that the Newcastle United striker was one of his toughest opponents ever.
"In 1997 we came away from Wembley with a win and I had a fantastic game that day, in my first match as a starter for the Azzurri," he says. "He was a top player at his peak – one of the best strikers I ever faced.
"Stats don’t lie and his speak a clear language."
More Newcastle United stories
In FourFourTwo's Season Preview for the upcoming season, Newcastle United are looking to disrupt the Big Six once more.
Former Magpies have spoken about current talking points at St James' Park. Jose Enrique has said that he would prioritise Alexander Isak over Callum Wilson, while Louis Saha has suggested that Sadio Mane should have signed for the club. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been linked with a move, too. Tino Livramento of Southampton is on the radar, too, while Chelsea's Conor Gallagher and Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips are both in the crosshairs.
Amazon Prime Video's We Are Newcastle United launches this month, too – here's everything we know about the show.
‘This is the biggest moment in my career - but the biggest is yet to come’: Plymouth Argyle transformed under Miron Muslic after FA Cup victory over Liverpool
‘It was a mistake to become Manchester City boss – I should have taken six months off. It wasn’t a very nice club at the time, and I didn’t do a particularly good job’: Former Premier League manager reflects on making wrong career decision
