Cannavaro appointed new Udinese manager

Cannavaro won the Ballon d'Or in 2006 - the most recent defender to do so

Former Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro has been appointed manager of Udinese until the end of the season.

Cannavaro, who lifted the 2006 World Cup as Italy captain, has replaced Gabriele Cioffi who was sacked after a 1-0 defeat by fellow strugglers Verona.

That loss left Udinese 17th in Serie A - one place above the relegation zone - and level on 28 points with 18th-placed Frosinone.

Cannavaro has signed a deal which runs until the end of June.

He will be in charge when Udinese finish their match against Roma by playing the remaining 18 minutes on Thursday.

The original game was suspended with the score at 1-1 after Roma player Evan Ndicka collapsed on the pitch.

The Ivory Coast defender was later released from hospital, with Roma saying the 24-year-old had experienced chest pains on the pitch but did not have a heart attack.

Cannavaro was one of the finest centre-backs of his generation, winning the Ballon d'Or in 2006 and played for the likes of Parma, Juventus, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

He retired from playing in 2011 and went into coaching in Asia.

Cannavaro managed clubs in China and Saudi Arabia, while also spending six weeks in charge of the Chinese national team in 2019 before a stint as boss of Benevento.