5 World Cup winners who finished their careers at unexpected clubs
To win the FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest honours a football player can possibly dream of having. Even in a time when clubs have become bigger commercial entities than ever before, playing for your national team remains an experience like no other and going all the way to lift the famous trophy gets you added in the pantheons of history and makes you an immortal part of the footballing legacy of a nation.
All the players in this piece are amongst the select few of those who have had the privilege of winning the World Cup, but the clubs that they finished their careers with are sure to raise a few eyebrows and that is what the focus of this piece will be on. Several players dream of playing their last professional game at their boyhood clubs, but they’re also a lot of players who aspire to travel the world and experience different leagues, even perhaps ones with a standard far below that they’re used to.
Here are the 5 World Cup winning players who have finished their careers at unexpected clubs:
Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) – Al-Ahli
Fabio Cannavaro hardly needs an introduction. The former Juventus and Real Madrid defender is one of the best players of all time in the central defense and was a sheer delight to watch. The way he organized and led the Italian backline in their 2006 World Cup winning campaign was masterful and he was awarded the World Player of the year award for his efforts, only the 3rd defender ever to have won the prestigious award.
Cannavaro had earned a transfer to Real Madrid after his magnificent World Cup campaign and found himself back in Turin three years later. Everyone expected him to see out his career with the Bianconeri but was keen on playing more football after his contract with them expired and ended up playing with Al-Ahli in the UAE League. Cannavaro had also agreed to play for Siliguri in the opening season of Premier League Soccer (PLS) in India, but the league never came to fruition.