Cannavaro's 'effortless' WC qualification & Gattuso's hilarious congrats message

Fabio Cannavaro is the new Uzbekistan boss and will lead the national team at its maiden FIFA World Cup next year. The Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA) announced the news in an official statement yesterday.

"The Uzbekistan Football Association has signed a contract with Fabio Cannavaro – a renowned specialist, one of the best defenders of his generation, a three-time World Cup participant, and the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Italian coach will lead our national team in preparation for the upcoming World Cup, which will take place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico."

However, a fascinating fact is that Cannavaro walked into a ready-made situation, as the Asian country had already qualified for the WC. Namely, the Slovenian tactician Srecko Katanec led the team in 12 qualifying clashes before he was forced to step down as Uzbekistan coach due to health issues.

The legend of Uzbek football, Timur Kapadze, succeeded him and finished his job with two wins and as many draws in the remaining four qualifying games, booking the ticket for the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Still, he wasn't seen as the long-term solution, as the UFA management wanted a more renowned name in the head coach position. The first - failed, though - choice was the former West Ham, WBA, and Watford manager, Slaven Bilic, while Cannavaro initially rejected the offers of both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Nevertheless, the Italian apparently changed his mind, and will lead the team in the competition he won with the Azzurri in 2006, for the first time in his managerial career. The White Wolves are the second national team on whose bench Cannavaro will sit, as he had a brief spell with China in 2019.

Regarding the clubs, he coached the Chinese Guangzhou Evergrande (two stints) and Tianjin Quanjian, the Saudi Al-Nassr, Benevento and Udinese in his homeland, and the Croatian Dinamo Zagreb, winning three trophies - all with Chinese sides.

Cannavaro will debut on Uzbekistan's bench in two days in a friendly match against Kuwait, while the White Wolves will also face Uruguay four days later.

The news of the 52-year-old's new job quickly spread all over Italy, and the Azzurri boss and Cannavaro's ex-teammate in the national team, Gennaro Gattuso, had to comment on the matter in the press conference ahead of his crew's decisive battles in the FIFA WC qualifiers.

"I called Cannavaro and told him, 'What the f... you've got? You're going to put on gel and perfume and go to the World Cup while I'm here in the trenches!" the popular Rino said in his typical fashion via La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Still, jokes aside, Gattuso is somewhat right, as the former centre-back will be in for the greatest challenge in his coaching career and on the biggest possible stage. It took some courage to take up this job - now it's time for him to show what he's made of.