Former Italian soccer player Fabio Cannavaro, center, and his predecessor Marcello Lippi attend a news conference announcing him as the new executive manager of Chinese Super League champion Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Nov 5, 2014. [Photo/IC]

Former Guangzhou Evergrande head coach and technical director Marcello Lippi's spell in China peaked in 2013 when he led the Cantonese club to the AFC Champions League title, the first Chinese outfit to triumph in the continent's premier competition.

Italian Lippi, who led his country to the FIFA World Cup in 2006, was hired by Evergrande in May 2012 and guided the club to three consecutive Chinese Super League crowns.