Meilleur footballeur de l'année FIFA
In the 2005–06 season, Fabio Cannavaro became the first defender to win the award. He also won the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or that season after he was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus midway through 2006 in the wake of the "Calciopoli" match-fixing scandal that saw the club stripped of their title and relegated to Serie B. Kaká won the award the following season for the second time in three years after also winning the FIFA World Player of the Year.