Cafu
Encyclopedia
Marcos Evangelista de Moraes (born 7 June 1970), better known as Cafu, is a former Brazilian footballer
who is widely regarded as one of the greatest right-backs ever. He was given this nickname due to his speed up and down the right flank which was reminiscent of Cafuringa
, a Brazilian forward from the 1970s. He is the most internationally capped male Brazilian player.
Cafu was named by Pelé
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
in March 2004. He is best known for his tireless overlapping runs.
of São Paulo
. He was an average student as he soon discovered his love for football and preferred playing over studying. At the age of seven, he was able to attend a football academy and soon moved up to the junior sides of Nacional-SP, Portuguesa
and Itaquaquecetuba. He also played futsal
for two years.
In the early 1980s, he could not get his foot in the door as he was rejected from the youth squads of Corinthians
, Palmeiras
, Santos, Atlético Mineiro
, and Portuguesa. It was not until 1988 that he made the youth squad of hometown club São Paulo, and subsequently won the Copa São Paulo youth tournament that year, but he warmed the bench the next season as São Paulo won the 1989 Campeonato Paulista
.
became Cafu's mentor. He suggested that Cafu move from the midfield to wingback, a spot into which Cafu made the transition with ease despite never previously playing the position. He had soon anchored onto the first team, as São Paulo won back-to-back Copa Libertadores in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, he was named the South American Footballer of the Year
. Cafu began the 1995 season with Brazil squad Juventude
but finished in Spain with Real Zaragoza
, winning the 1995 Cup Winner's Cup
with the latter.
After a brief stint back in Brazil with Palmeiras in 1996, Cafu returned to Europe once again the next year, this time with Roma
, and won the Scudetto in 2001. It was during his tenure at Roma that Cafu earned the nickname Il Pendolino
("The Express Train" or "The Commuter"). Despite making the Coppa Italia
final in 2003 with Roma, he moved to Milan
after turning down a move to Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos
. With the Rossoneri, he won his second career Scudetto in 2004, and played in his first UEFA Champions League final in 2005
.
Despite his success with Milan, he continued to hold fond memories of his Roma years, and it was for that reason that on 4 March 2007 – the day after Milan eliminated Celtic
in the first knockout round of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League – he candidly revealed in a UEFA.com chat that he did not want Milan to be drawn against the Giallorossi in the quarterfinal round. He got his wish, as Milan were drawn against Bayern Munich
. Milan's successful Champions League campaign saw Cafu finally pick up a long-awaited winners' medal.
Cafu signed a contract extension in May 2007 that would keep him with Milan until the end of the 2007–08 season. On 16 May 2008, it was announced that Cafu and compatriot Serginho
would be leaving Milan at the end of the season. In Cafu's last game of his Milan career, and maybe his footballing career, he scored a goal in their 4–1 victory over Udinese
. Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani
has opened the doors to him to return to work for the club.
players, including Roma team-mate Fábio Júnior and Gustavo Bartelt
, countryman and later Milan team-mate Dida, for using forged passport in their attempt to dodge regulations regarding the number of non-European players allowed on Italian club rosters. However, the charge was cleared by FIGC as Cafu's Italian passport is real and issued by Italian officials but 13 other including Dida were banned. But Cafu faced another controversy that similar to Juan Sebastián Verón
, accused that Cafu's wife, Regina used falsified documents to claim Italian nationality through Italian descent. Cafu acquired Italian nationality through marriage. In 2004, Cafu and Roma president Franco Sensi
went to court.
On 12 June 2006, less than 24 hours before Brazil were to begin their 2006 World Cup
campaign against Croatia
, Rome prosecutor Angelantonio Racanelli called for the imprisonment of Cafu, his wife Regina de Morales, and his agent for nine months following the resurfacing of a false-passport scandal. The very next day, however, Cafu, his wife, and agent were acquitted of all charges.
Cafu is the most-capped
Brazilian
player of all time with 142, including 21 World Cup finals appearances. He has won two World Cups
in 1994
and 2002
, and is one of the few players that have participated in four consecutive tournaments, as well as being the second player, after Lothar Matthaeus from 1982–1990, to participate in three consecutive WC final matches. They are the only two players to have appeared in 3 consecutive WC Final matches. Cafu holds the record of winning most number of matches in World Cups with 16. He earned his first cap in a friendly against Spain
on 12 September 1990, and played sparingly for Brazil in the early 90s, making the 1994 World Cup roster as a substitute. He appeared in the final against Italy
, following an injury to Jorginho
in the 22nd minute. After that, Cafu was soon a regular in the starting eleven as Brazil won the Copa América
in 1997 and 1999, and reached the 1998 FIFA World Cup
final.
Brazil endured a rocky qualification for the 2002 tournament, during which Cafu came under heavy criticism from coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, who stripped him of the team captaincy after he was sent off in a qualifier against Paraguay
. Shortly after that, though, Luxemburgo was out of a job, and replacement Luiz Felipe Scolari
made Emerson
his new choice for captain. However, Emerson missed the cut after he dislocated his shoulder in training, which allowed Cafu to regain the armband. After Brazil defeated Germany 2–0 in the final match, he stood on the victory podium during the postmatch celebration and, as he raised the trophy, shouted to his wife, "Regina, eu te amo!" ("Regina, I love you!").
Cafu and Brazil fell short of high expectations placed on the squad four years later in 2006
, as the Seleção meekly exited in the quarterfinals after a 1–0 defeat by France
. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira
was criticized for featuring fading veterans, most notably the 36-year-old Cafu and 33-year-old Roberto Carlos
, in the starting eleven in lieu of younger players. Cafu was one of only a few Brazil players who spoke to the press in the midst of a hailstorm of criticism from Brazilian fans and media alike following the team's return home. He nonetheless expressed interest in participating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
; however he did not, as he retired completely from football in 2008.
Cafu was named by Pelé
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
in March 2004.
|1990
||rowspan="5"|São Paulo||rowspan="5"|Série A
||20||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||20||1
|-
|1991
||20||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||20||1
|-
|1992
||21||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||21||1
|-
|1993
||18||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||18||1
|-
|1994||16||2||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||16||2
|-
|1994–95||Real Zaragoza
||La Liga
||16||0||colspan="2"|—||1||0||17||0
|-
|1995
||rowspan="3"|Palmeiras
||rowspan="3"|Série A
||19||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||19||0
|-
|1996
||16||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||16||0
|-
|1997
||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||0||0
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="6"|Roma
||rowspan="6"|Serie A
||31||1||5||0||colspan="2"|—||36||1
|-
|1998–99||20||1||colspan="2"|—||5||0||25||1
|-
|1999–2000||28||2||4||0||5||0||37||2
|-
|2000–01||31||1||2||0||7||0||40||1
|-
|2001–02||27||0||1||0||10||2||38||2
|-
|2002–03||26||0||3||1||12||0||41||1
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="5"|Milan
||rowspan="5"|Serie A
||28||1||1||0||9||0||38||1
|-
|2004–05||33||1||colspan="2"|—||12||0||45||1
|-
|2005–06||19||1||1||0||5||0||25||1
|-
|2006–07||24||0||3||0||8||0||35||0
|-
|2007–08||15||1||2||0||1||0||18||1
130||6||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||130||6
16||0||colspan="2"|—||1||0||17||0
282||9||22||1||74||2||378||12
428||15||22||1||75||2||525||18
|-
|1990||3||0
|-
|1991||9||0
|-
|1992||2||0
|-
|1993||12||0
|-
|1994||7||1
|-
|1995||5||0
|-
|1996||3||0
|-
|1997||20||0
|-
|1998||12||2
|-
|1999||12||0
|-
|2000||10||2
|-
|2001||6||0
|-
|2002||12||0
|-
|2003||7||0
|-
|2004||9||0
|-
|2005||8||0
|-
|2006||5||0
|-
!Total||142||5
|}
Real Zaragoza
Palmeiras
Roma
Ac Milan
Football in Brazil
Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup tournament a record 5 times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, and is the only team to succeed in qualifying for every World Cup competition ever held. It is among the favourites to win...
who is widely regarded as one of the greatest right-backs ever. He was given this nickname due to his speed up and down the right flank which was reminiscent of Cafuringa
Cafuringa
Moacir Fernandes, commonly known by the nickname Cafuringa , was a Brazilian professional football right winger, who played for several Campeonato Brasileiro Série A clubs....
, a Brazilian forward from the 1970s. He is the most internationally capped male Brazilian player.
Cafu was named by Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
in March 2004. He is best known for his tireless overlapping runs.
Early life
One of six children, Cafu was raised in the Jardim Irene favelaFavela
A favela is the generally used term for a shanty town in Brazil. In the late 18th century, the first settlements were called bairros africanos . This was the place where former slaves with no land ownership and no options for work lived. Over the years, many freed black slaves moved in...
of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. He was an average student as he soon discovered his love for football and preferred playing over studying. At the age of seven, he was able to attend a football academy and soon moved up to the junior sides of Nacional-SP, Portuguesa
Associação Portuguesa de Desportos
Associação Portuguesa de Desportos, usually called Portuguesa or Lusa, is a sports club, and a Brazilian football team from São Paulo in São Paulo state, founded on August 14, 1920 by the Portuguese population of the city.-History:...
and Itaquaquecetuba. He also played futsal
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller pitch and mainly played indoors. Its name is a portmanteau of the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón , which can be translated as "hall football" or "indoor football"...
for two years.
In the early 1980s, he could not get his foot in the door as he was rejected from the youth squads of Corinthians
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, commonly just known as Corinthians , is a Brazilian football club based in the city of São Paulo. They play in the São Paulo state league, as well as the Brasileirão, Brazil's top national league...
, Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras is a Brazilian football club from São Paulo. The club was founded on August 26, 1914, as Palestra Italia but changed to the current name on September 14, 1942...
, Santos, Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...
, and Portuguesa. It was not until 1988 that he made the youth squad of hometown club São Paulo, and subsequently won the Copa São Paulo youth tournament that year, but he warmed the bench the next season as São Paulo won the 1989 Campeonato Paulista
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
.
Club career
It was during this time, however, that São Paulo youth coach Telê SantanaTelê Santana
Telê Santana da Silva, also known as Telê Santana , was a Brazilian football manager and former player...
became Cafu's mentor. He suggested that Cafu move from the midfield to wingback, a spot into which Cafu made the transition with ease despite never previously playing the position. He had soon anchored onto the first team, as São Paulo won back-to-back Copa Libertadores in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, he was named the South American Footballer of the Year
South American Footballer of the Year
The South American Footballer of the Year is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo, whom awarded it from 1971 to 1985. Uruguayan newspaper El País took over...
. Cafu began the 1995 season with Brazil squad Juventude
Esporte Clube Juventude
Esporte Clube Juventude, also known as Juventude, is a Brazilian football team in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul.Juventude's greatest rival is Caxias.-History:...
but finished in Spain with Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
, winning the 1995 Cup Winner's Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
with the latter.
After a brief stint back in Brazil with Palmeiras in 1996, Cafu returned to Europe once again the next year, this time with Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, and won the Scudetto in 2001. It was during his tenure at Roma that Cafu earned the nickname Il Pendolino
Pendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
("The Express Train" or "The Commuter"). Despite making the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
final in 2003 with Roma, he moved to Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
after turning down a move to Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos
Yokohama F. Marinos
is a Japanese association football team that participates in the fully professional J. League Division 1; the top Japanese professional football league. Having won the J-League title three times and finished second twice, they are one of the most successful J-League clubs. The team are based in...
. With the Rossoneri, he won his second career Scudetto in 2004, and played in his first UEFA Champions League final in 2005
2005 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool of England and Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 25 May 2005...
.
Despite his success with Milan, he continued to hold fond memories of his Roma years, and it was for that reason that on 4 March 2007 – the day after Milan eliminated Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in the first knockout round of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League – he candidly revealed in a UEFA.com chat that he did not want Milan to be drawn against the Giallorossi in the quarterfinal round. He got his wish, as Milan were drawn against Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
. Milan's successful Champions League campaign saw Cafu finally pick up a long-awaited winners' medal.
Cafu signed a contract extension in May 2007 that would keep him with Milan until the end of the 2007–08 season. On 16 May 2008, it was announced that Cafu and compatriot Serginho
Sergio Claudio dos Santos
Sérgio Cláudio dos Santos is a former association footballer, who last played as a left winger and left back for A.C. Milan. His nickname is Il Concorde, due to his quick and tireless pace on the pitch.-Career:He played for Cruzeiro EC and Bahia, and moved to AC Milan from São Paulo FC in 1999...
would be leaving Milan at the end of the season. In Cafu's last game of his Milan career, and maybe his footballing career, he scored a goal in their 4–1 victory over Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
. Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...
has opened the doors to him to return to work for the club.
Passport controversy
Cafu was accused along with several other Serie ASerie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
players, including Roma team-mate Fábio Júnior and Gustavo Bartelt
Gustavo Bartelt
Gustavo Javier Bartelt is an Argentine footballer who plays for All Boys.-Career:Bartelt started playing for All Boys in 1993. He then played for Lanús, Roma, Aston Villa , Rayo, Gimnasia La Plata, Talleres and Gimnasia de Jujuy.While at Roma, both Bartelt and Cafu were accused of using false...
, countryman and later Milan team-mate Dida, for using forged passport in their attempt to dodge regulations regarding the number of non-European players allowed on Italian club rosters. However, the charge was cleared by FIGC as Cafu's Italian passport is real and issued by Italian officials but 13 other including Dida were banned. But Cafu faced another controversy that similar to Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División....
, accused that Cafu's wife, Regina used falsified documents to claim Italian nationality through Italian descent. Cafu acquired Italian nationality through marriage. In 2004, Cafu and Roma president Franco Sensi
Franco Sensi
Francesco Sensi, Cavaliere del lavoro, , was an Italian oil tycoon. He was born in Rome, where he lived throughout his entire life, though he also served time as mayor of Visso, the city where his family came from. He had been for fifteen years, until his death, general manager of Associazione...
went to court.
On 12 June 2006, less than 24 hours before Brazil were to begin their 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
campaign against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Rome prosecutor Angelantonio Racanelli called for the imprisonment of Cafu, his wife Regina de Morales, and his agent for nine months following the resurfacing of a false-passport scandal. The very next day, however, Cafu, his wife, and agent were acquitted of all charges.
International career
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
Brazilian
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
player of all time with 142, including 21 World Cup finals appearances. He has won two World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, and is one of the few players that have participated in four consecutive tournaments, as well as being the second player, after Lothar Matthaeus from 1982–1990, to participate in three consecutive WC final matches. They are the only two players to have appeared in 3 consecutive WC Final matches. Cafu holds the record of winning most number of matches in World Cups with 16. He earned his first cap in a friendly against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
on 12 September 1990, and played sparingly for Brazil in the early 90s, making the 1994 World Cup roster as a substitute. He appeared in the final against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, following an injury to Jorginho
Jorginho
Jorge de Amorim Campos , aka Jorginho, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played mainly as a right defender, and the current coach of Figueirense Futebol Clube....
in the 22nd minute. After that, Cafu was soon a regular in the starting eleven as Brazil won the Copa América
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
in 1997 and 1999, and reached the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
final.
Brazil endured a rocky qualification for the 2002 tournament, during which Cafu came under heavy criticism from coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, who stripped him of the team captaincy after he was sent off in a qualifier against Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
. Shortly after that, though, Luxemburgo was out of a job, and replacement Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari , ComIH , also known as Felipão in Brazil and Phil Scolari in the United Kingdom, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian football manager. He is currently the manager of Palmeiras. He served as the manager of the Portuguese national team from July 12, 2003 to June 30, 2008...
made Emerson
Emerson Ferreira da Rosa
Émerson Ferreira da Rosa , simply known as Emerson, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder. He had 73 caps for Brazil from 1997 to 2006.-Grêmio:...
his new choice for captain. However, Emerson missed the cut after he dislocated his shoulder in training, which allowed Cafu to regain the armband. After Brazil defeated Germany 2–0 in the final match, he stood on the victory podium during the postmatch celebration and, as he raised the trophy, shouted to his wife, "Regina, eu te amo!" ("Regina, I love you!").
Cafu and Brazil fell short of high expectations placed on the squad four years later in 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, as the Seleção meekly exited in the quarterfinals after a 1–0 defeat by France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira
Carlos Alberto Parreira
Carlos Alberto Gomes Parreira is a Brazilian former football manager. He managed Brazil to championships at the 1994 World Cup, the 2004 Copa América, and the 2005 Confederations Cup...
was criticized for featuring fading veterans, most notably the 36-year-old Cafu and 33-year-old Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos da Silva
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha , more commonly known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a player/manager who currently plays as a defensive midfielder for Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala, where he is also club captain. Carlos has spent most of his career as a left wingback but started his...
, in the starting eleven in lieu of younger players. Cafu was one of only a few Brazil players who spoke to the press in the midst of a hailstorm of criticism from Brazilian fans and media alike following the team's return home. He nonetheless expressed interest in participating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
; however he did not, as he retired completely from football in 2008.
Cafu was named by Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
in March 2004.
Career statistics
|-|1990
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1990
-Overview:It was performed in 20 teams, and Corinthians won the championship.Relegated: Sao Jose and Inter de Limeira.- Format :The tournament will be played in a double round-robin system....
||rowspan="5"|São Paulo||rowspan="5"|Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||20||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||20||1
|-
|1991
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1991
The 1991 season of the Campeonato Brasileiro began on February 2, 1991, and reached its end on June 9, 1991. The competition was won by São Paulo. Santos Futebol Clube's Paulinho McLaren, with 15 goals, was the competition's top goal scorer.-Overview:...
||20||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||20||1
|-
|1992
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1992
The 1992 season of the Campeonato Brasileiro began on January 26, 1992, and reached its end on July 19, 1992. The competition was won by Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.-Format:First Stage: 20 clubs playing against each other once...
||21||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||21||1
|-
|1993
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1993
-Overview:It was performed in 32 teams, and Palmeiras won the championship.-Format:The first phase of the season had the 32 teams divided into four groups of eight teams. The top three teams from group A and group B qualified for the second phase. The top two teams from group C and group D would...
||18||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||18||1
|-
|1994||16||2||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||16||2
|-
|1994–95||Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||16||0||colspan="2"|—||1||0||17||0
|-
|1995
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1995
-Overview:It was performed in 24 teams, and Botafogo won the championship, the club's first Série A title in history.Of the 24 participating teams, only two were relegated, Paysandu and União São João. Also only the first two teams from the Série B in 1995 would be qualificated to the Série A in 1996...
||rowspan="3"|Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras is a Brazilian football club from São Paulo. The club was founded on August 26, 1914, as Palestra Italia but changed to the current name on September 14, 1942...
||rowspan="3"|Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||19||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||19||0
|-
|1996
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1996
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1996 was played between August 8 and December 15, 1996. It had 24 teams and divided into two stages. In the first one, every team played against each other once...
||16||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||16||0
|-
|1997
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1997
-Overview:It was performed in 26 teams, and Vasco da Gama won the championship.-Final standings:-Top scorers:-References:...
||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||0||0
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="6"|Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
||rowspan="6"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||31||1||5||0||colspan="2"|—||36||1
|-
|1998–99||20||1||colspan="2"|—||5||0||25||1
|-
|1999–2000||28||2||4||0||5||0||37||2
|-
|2000–01||31||1||2||0||7||0||40||1
|-
|2001–02||27||0||1||0||10||2||38||2
|-
|2002–03||26||0||3||1||12||0||41||1
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="5"|Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
||rowspan="5"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||28||1||1||0||9||0||38||1
|-
|2004–05||33||1||colspan="2"|—||12||0||45||1
|-
|2005–06||19||1||1||0||5||0||25||1
|-
|2006–07||24||0||3||0||8||0||35||0
|-
|2007–08||15||1||2||0||1||0||18||1
130||6||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||130||6
16||0||colspan="2"|—||1||0||17||0
282||9||22||1||74||2||378||12
428||15||22||1||75||2||525||18
|-
|1990||3||0
|-
|1991||9||0
|-
|1992||2||0
|-
|1993||12||0
|-
|1994||7||1
|-
|1995||5||0
|-
|1996||3||0
|-
|1997||20||0
|-
|1998||12||2
|-
|1999||12||0
|-
|2000||10||2
|-
|2001||6||0
|-
|2002||12||0
|-
|2003||7||0
|-
|2004||9||0
|-
|2005||8||0
|-
|2006||5||0
|-
!Total||142||5
|}
Club
São Paulo- Campeonato Brasileiro Série ACampeonato Brasileiro Série AThe Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
(1): 1991 - Campeonato PaulistaCampeonato PaulistaThe Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
(2): 1991Campeonato PaulistaThe Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
, 1992Campeonato PaulistaThe Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April... - Copa Libertadores (2): 19921992 Copa LibertadoresThe 1992 Copa Libertadores was the 33rd edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. São Paulo won the competition....
, 19931993 Copa LibertadoresThe Copa Libertadores 1993 was the 34th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. São Paulo won the competition.... - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
(2): 19921992 Intercontinental CupThe 1992 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 13, 1992 between FC Barcelona, winners of the 1991-92 European Cup, and São Paulo, winners of the 1992 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo. It was Barcelona's first appearance into the...
, 19931993 Intercontinental CupThe 1993 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 12, 1993 between A.C. Milan, runners-up of the 1992-93 UEFA Champions League, and São Paulo, winners of the 1993 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo... - Supercopa SudamericanaSupercopa SudamericanaThe Supercopa Sudamericana , also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa Libertadores, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a football club competition contested annually by the past winners of the Copa Libertadores...
(1): 19931993 Supercopa SudamericanaThe 1993 Supercopa Sudamericana was the sixth season of the Supercopa Sudamericana, a club football tournament for past Copa Libertadores winners... - Recopa SudamericanaRecopa SudamericanaThe Recopa Sudamericana is an annual football match-up between the reigning champions of the previous year's Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's premier club competitions....
(2): 19931993 Recopa Sudamericana-Second leg:-External links:*...
, 1994 - Copa CONMEBOLCopa CONMEBOLThe Copa CONMEBOL was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for eligible South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was the third most prestigious South American club football contest after the Copa Libertadores and Supercopa...
(1): 19941994 Copa CONMEBOLThe 1994 Copa CONMEBOL was the third edition of CONMEBOL's annual club tournament. Teams that failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores played in this tournament. Sixteen teams from the nine South American football confederations qualified for this tournament...
Real Zaragoza
- UEFA Cup Winner's Cup (1): 1995UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1994-95The season 1994-95 of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was won by Real Zaragoza in the final against defending champions Arsenal, Zaragoza famously winning thanks to a spectacular last-minute goal from midfielder Nayim with an effort from 40 yards....
Palmeiras
- Campeonato PaulistaCampeonato PaulistaThe Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
(1): 1996Campeonato PaulistaThe Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April... - Torneio Maria Quitéria (1): 1997
Roma
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(1): 2001 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(1): 20012001 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2001 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by Serie A 2000-01 winners Roma and Coppa Italia 2000-01 winners Fiorentina.The match took place on 19 August 2001 in Stadio Olimpico, Rome and resulted in a 3-0 victory for Roma....
Ac Milan
- UEFA Super Cup: 20032003 UEFA Super CupThe 2003 UEFA Super Cup was played on August 29, 2003 between A.C. Milan of Italy and F.C. Porto of Portugal. Milan qualified by beating Juventus in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Porto had made it to the Super Cup after beating Celtic in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Milan won the match 1–0...
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(1): 2004 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(1): 20042004 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2004 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2003-04 winners Milan and the 2003-04 Coppa Italia winners Lazio.The match result was a 3-0 victory for Milan after a hat-trick by Andriy Shevchenko.-Match details:-References:... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(1): 2007 - UEFA Super Cup (1): 20072007 UEFA Super CupThe 2007 UEFA Super Cup was the 32nd UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup competitions. The match was held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco on 31 August 2007 and contested by Milan and Sevilla...
- FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
(1): 20072007 FIFA Club World CupThe 2007 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 December to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA for the winners of each confederation's top continental club tournament....
Country
Brazil- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(2): 19941994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, 20022002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... - Copa AméricaCopa AméricaThe Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
(2): 1997, 1999 - FIFA Confederations CupFIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
(1): 19971997 FIFA Confederations Cup-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:7 goals Romário5 goals Vladimír Šmicer4 goals Ronaldo-References:...
Individual
- South American Footballer of the YearSouth American Footballer of the YearThe South American Footballer of the Year is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo, whom awarded it from 1971 to 1985. Uruguayan newspaper El País took over...
(1): 1994South American Footballer of the YearThe South American Footballer of the Year is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo, whom awarded it from 1971 to 1985. Uruguayan newspaper El País took over... - Officer of the Order of Rio Branco: 2008
External links
- Official Cafu Foundation site
- Cafu profile by Aaron Marcus – acmilan-online.com
- Career stats – acmilan.com
- Champions League profile – UEFA.com