Italy captain and new Juventus signing Fabio Cannavaro has his sights set on becoming Italy's most capped player.

"I had not thought about the record until now, but as there are only two games for me to reach Maldini's tally of 126, I cannot ignore it," smiled the veteran.

"He is an exceptional lad and it's a shame he had to put up with that protest from a small minority of fans upon his retirement. In our country sometimes we lack the right sporting culture."

Cannavaro could celebrate that achievement in South Africa, where Italy travel to play the Confederations Cup against Egypt, USA and Brazil.

"This will be a new experience, as Italy have never taken part in this competition before. We'll see what we can get out of it and it certainly wouldn't be disappointing to win the trophy.

"Spain are in the other group and I think they can win the World Cup, but the favourite does not always emerge victorious at the end."

Many fans at Juventus have protested the decision to bring back Cannavaro, who walked away in the Calciopoli scandal of 2006 to avoid a spell in Serie B.

"They only remember what happened when I left, not everything that came before it," noted the former Real Madrid centre-back.

"Everyone is free to jeer or cheer me, however they see fit. For me Juve have the same aura as Real Madrid, both clubs who look to the future."

Cannavaro concedes his first choice would have been another return to the San Paolo, where he started his career, but President Aurelio De Laurentiis considered him too old.

"I would've liked to play in my hometown again, but I wish Napoli all the best."