Cannavaro Has Maldini's Record In Sight

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is within touching distance of the all time appearance record for the Azzurri, held by former captain Paolo Maldini.

The legendary Maldini earned 126 caps for his country before calling it quits at the end of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The record seemed unreachable at the time, but a team mate of the legendary defender is closing in on the milestone with only seven games needed to equal the Milan captain's record.

Cannavaro played against Bulgaria on the weekend, winning his 119th cap for the Azzurri, and the Real Madrid central defender should pick up his 120th tonight against Montenegro.

When questioned about the possibility of reaching the record tally, Cannavaro replied, “I've not really thought about it, to be honest, but records are there to be broken.”

The World Cup winning captain continued, “As long as I am called up I'll always arrive full of enthusiasm. For me it is an honour to pull on the Italian shirt.”

With that kind of attitude it is no surprise that the Napoli born star may soon be Italy's most capped player.

Top Five Most Capped Italian Players:

1 Paolo Maldini 126
2 Fabio Cannavaro 119
3 Dino Zoff 112
4 Giacinto Facchetti 94
5 Alessandro Del Piero 91

Goal.com