Nemanja Vidić vs Fabio Cannavaro: Stats Compared
Centre-Back, Serbia (born 1981, retired 2016) · Centre-Back, Italy (born 1973, retired 2011)
When Nemanja Vidić and Fabio Cannavaro are mentioned in the same breath, opinions rarely stay quiet. Goals are the coldest, hardest metric in football, and both players stockedpile them. Nemanja Vidić finishes with 29 career goals from 518 games — a 0.06 strike rate — against Fabio Cannavaro's 23 from 790 at 0.03 per match. Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. In major honours Nemanja Vidić collected 8 — headlined by 5× Premier League (2007–2013) — whereas Fabio Cannavaro amassed 7, led by 1× FIFA World Cup (2006). Nemanja Vidić scored with a anticipatory that defined his era, while Fabio Cannavaro's finishing carried a elegant all of its own. The wider career context matters too: Nemanja Vidić peaked around 2009 after representing Red Star Belgrade, Spartak Moscow, Manchester United, Inter, while Fabio Cannavaro's defining level came around 2006 across Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Al-Ahli. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
176 words · comparison angle: goalscoring
Player profiles
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Widely considered as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Vidić is best known for his time at Manchester United, where he won 15 trophies and served as club captain. He is one of only five players to win the Premier League Player of the Season award twice, alongside Thierry Henry, Kevin De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.
“A fearless centre-back who dominated the air and treated every duel as a personal contest.”
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
- 5× Premier League (2007–2013)
- 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
- 2001 Established himself at Red Star Belgrade
- 2005 Reached his defining peak
- 2009 Delivered a landmark season
- 2016 Retired from professional football
- 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
Weighing production against honours, Fabio Cannavaro takes the verdict — a clear margin, driven by remarkable longevity.
Fabio Cannavaro edges it (a clear margin)
