Andrea Pirlo vs Fabio Cannavaro: Stats Compared
Central / Attacking Midfielder, Italy (born 1979, retired 2017) · Centre-Back, Italy (born 1973, retired 2011)
Andrea Pirlo against Fabio Cannavaro is the kind of comparison that fuels pub arguments for hours. Trophies, more than goals, are how most supporters ultimately remember a career. Andrea Pirlo finishes with 73 career goals from 728 games — a 0.10 strike rate — against Fabio Cannavaro's 23 from 790 at 0.03 per match. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Andrea Pirlo is credited with 80 and Fabio Cannavaro with 0. Trophy counts give Andrea Pirlo 13 and Fabio Cannavaro 7, with 1× FIFA World Cup (2006) and 1× FIFA World Cup (2006) the standout honours respectively. Andrea Pirlo built his medal haul through years of silky consistency, while Fabio Cannavaro won his with resolute bursts of brilliance. The wider career context matters too: Andrea Pirlo peaked around 2006 after representing Brescia, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, New York City FC, while Fabio Cannavaro's defining level came around 2006 across Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Al-Ahli. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.
185 words · comparison angle: trophies
Player profiles
Italian playmaker and World Cup winner; six-time Serie A champion and two-time Champions League winner.
“A deep-lying regista whose passing range and free-kick craft orchestrated Italy and Juventus for a decade.”
Italian defender who captained Italy to the 2006 World Cup; 2006 Ballon d'Or winner, the last defender to win the award.
“A short-but-vocal centre-back whose anticipation and bravery won him the Ballon d'Or as a defender.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 2× UEFA Champions League (2003, 2007)
- 6× Serie A
- 2× Coppa Italia
- 2× UEFA Super Cup (2003, 2007)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 2× La Liga (2007, 2008)
- 1× UEFA Cup (1999)
- 2× Coppa Italia (1999, 2002)
- 1× Supercoppa Italiana (1999)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1995 Brescia debut aged 16
- 1998 Signed for Inter Milan but failed to break through
- 2001 Joined AC Milan and his career took off
- 2006 World Cup winner with Italy
- 2011 Free transfer to Juventus
- 2014 Set a Serie A points record with Juventus
- 2015 Joined MLS side New York City FC
- 1993 Napoli debut aged 19
- 1995 Joined Parma, defensive partnership with Thuram and Buffon
- 2002 Joined Inter Milan
- 2004 Signed for Juventus
- 2006 Joined Real Madrid after Calciopoli
- 2009 Returned to Juventus briefly
- 2011 Retired at Al-Ahli in Dubai
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Andrea Pirlo wins out by a clear margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Andrea Pirlo edges it (a clear margin)
