Italy Captain Cannavaro Named Top Player.

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro won the Golden Ball award Monday, the first defender in 10 years selected as Europe's best player.

Cannavaro, who played for Juventus last season but moved to Real Madrid after helping Italy win the World Cup, got 173 points in France Football magazine's annual poll of 52 journalists from around the world. Juventus goalie Gianluigi Buffon was second with 124 points, followed by Arsenal striker Thierry Henry with 121.

FC Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho, who won the award last year, was fourth with 73 points. France's Zinedine Zidane was fifth with 71. Cannavaro is the third defender in 30 years to win _ Matthias Sammer won the award in 1996 and Franz Beckenbauer in 1976.

He was also the fifth Italian to win, following Roberto Baggio (1993), Paolo Rossi (1982), Gianni Rivera (1969) and Argentine-born Omar Sivori (1961).

"This is a double honor," Cannavaro said. "It is given to the best player, and the fact I am a defender makes it even more special."

Cannavaro and Buffon were among Italy's best players at the World Cup in Germany, where the team conceded only one goal before the final against France, which Italy won on penalty kicks. Cannavaro made his 100th international appearance in the final and was voted the World Cup's second-best player behind Zidane.

"It is a fantastic award, the crowning achievement of an exceptional year," said Marcelo Lippi, who coached Italy to the World Cup title. "And Cannavaro as captain of a phenomenal group brings it back a bit for everybody."

The 33-year-old Cannavaro also has also played for Napoli, Parma and Inter Milan. At Parma, he played 212 league games and formed one of Serie A's best defensive partnerships with Lilian Thuram.

"I think he deserves the award if we take into account the World Cup as a whole," Thuram told French television.

Henry, the English Premier League's leading scorer with 27 goals last season, was also the top marksman in 2002, '04 and '05. He was voted player of the year for a record third time by English soccer writers.

"Henry has amazing qualities," Cannavaro said. "I'm sorry he couldn't win it this year."

Calderon: Cannavaro to win Ballon d'Or.

Fabio Cannavaro will be named European Footballer of the Year - according to Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon.

The 33-year-old defender captained Italy to victory in the World Cup this summer before joining Real from Juventus in July.

Calderon made the claims while paying tribute to former Real star Ferenc Puskas, who died aged 89 on Friday.

"The joy at Cannavaro winning the Ballon d'Or has been overshadowed by the sad news of the death of Ferenc Puskas," said Calderon.

The winner of the award is voted for by European journalists and will be revealed officially by France Football magazine on 27 November.

Calderon's claims came after the Spanish media reported a meeting had taken place between France Football's editor and Cannavaro on Thursday.

Should his victory be confirmed, Cannavaro would become the fourth Italian to win the award - joining Gianni Rivera, Paolo Rossi and Roberto Baggio.

He would replace Brazilian Ronaldinho as the holder of the award, and become one of only a handful of defenders to claim the prize.

Cannavaro with the Azzurri.

The main changes on Italian national team coach Roberto Donadoni's teamsheet for the 2008 European Championship qualifying matches against Ukraine and Georgia are the absences of strikers Antonio Cassano (Real Madrid) and Alberto Gilardino (Milan).

On the other hand, World Cup champions Alessandro del Piero (Juventus), Luca Toni (Fiorentina), Vicenzo Iaquinta (Udinese) and Marco Materazzi (Inter), return to the 25-man Italian squad. Materazzi returns after a two-match suspension. According to Spanish news agency Efe, Real Madrid's Fabio Cannavaro and Barcelona's Gianlucca Zambrotta, make their return to the Azzurri.

The following is Donadoni's teamsheet for the 2008 European Championship qualifying matches against Ukraine -Rome, October 7- and Georgia -Tbilisi, October 11:

Goalkeepers: Christian Abbiati (Torino), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus).
Defenders: Andrea Barzagli and Cristian Zaccardo (Palermo), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Fabio Grosso and Marco Materazzi (Inter), Alessandro Nesta (Milan), Massimo Oddo (Lazio), Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona).
Midfielders: Mauro German Camoranesi (Juventus), Gennaro Delvecchio (Sampdoria), Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perrotta (Roma), Ivan Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo (Milan), Stefano Mauri (Lazio).
Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), David Di Michele (Palermo), Antonio Di Natale and Vincenzo Iaquinta (Udinese), Filippo Inzaghi (Milan), Luca Toni (Fiorentina).