As Napoli had been recently promoted back into Serie B, and were looking to build a squad with potential, Cannavaro was brought back to his first club in 2006. After helping to re-establish the club in the top flight of Italian football in his first season back, Cannavaro was installed as the team's captain the following season, and subsequently played a key role in the club's resurgence, helped his team to qualify for the UEFA Cup in 2008: he later also helped his team to earn a spot in the Champions League in 2011, and lifted the club's first major trophy in more than 20 years when Napoli defeated Juventus 2–0 in the Coppa Italia final in Rome on 20 May 2012.