Ferenc Puskás vs Fabio Cannavaro: Stats Compared
Forward, Hungary (born 1927, retired 1966) · Centre-Back, Italy (born 1973, retired 2011)
Ask any fan to rank Ferenc Puskás above or below Fabio Cannavaro and you will get a passionate answer. Era matters in any comparison, and these two peaked under very different footballing conditions. On production alone, Ferenc Puskás posted 598 goals across 621 appearances while Fabio Cannavaro managed 23 across 790. Assists were never formally recorded across most of their eras, so the playmaking dimension has to be judged on reputation and highlights rather than hard totals. In major honours Ferenc Puskás collected 10 — headlined by 3× European Cup (1959, 1960, 1966) — whereas Fabio Cannavaro amassed 7, led by 1× FIFA World Cup (2006). Across the post-war golden age and the turn of the millennium respectively, their clinical and resolute styles captured the spirit of very different footballing times. Club journeys add another layer, with Ferenc Puskás reaching his representative peak around 1960 across Budapest Honvéd, Real Madrid and Fabio Cannavaro doing so around 2006 with Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Al-Ahli. Each, in his own way, set a standard the other is measured against.
179 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
Hungarian legend of the Magical Magyats and a Real Madrid galáctico; scorer of 84 goals in 85 games for Hungary.
“A barrel-chested left-footed finisher whose deadly striking powered Hungary's Golden Team.”
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
- 3× European Cup (1959, 1960, 1966)
- 5× La Liga
- 1× Olympic Gold Medal (1952)
- 1× Central European Cup (1953)
- 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
- 1943 Budapest Honvéd debut
- 1952 Olympic champion with Hungary
- 1953 Scored twice in the 6-3 win over England at Wembley
- 1956 Fled the Hungarian Revolution
- 1958 Joined Real Madrid
- 1960 Scored four goals in the European Cup final
- 1966 Retired from playing
- 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 Ferenc Puskás wins out by a clear margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Ferenc Puskás edges it (a clear margin)
