Cafu

Marcos Evangelista de Morais, known as Cafu, was a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He was born on 7 June 1970 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time. Cafu was known for his speed and energetic runs along the right side of the field.

Cafu is the most-capped player for the Brazil national team with 142 appearances. He played for several famous clubs, including São Paulo, Roma, and AC Milan, where he helped his teams win many important titles.

Cafu represented Brazil in four FIFA World Cups between 1994 and 2006. He is the only player to have appeared in three World Cup finals, both overall and consecutive. He won the World Cup in 1994 and 2002, lifting the World Cup trophy as captain in 2002. He also helped Brazil win the Copa América twice and the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Early life

Cafu grew up in a neighborhood of São Paulo as one of six children. When he was seven, he joined a football academy and later played for several junior teams, including Nacional-SP, Portuguesa, and Itaquaquecetuba. He also enjoyed playing futsal for two years.

As a child, he got the nickname "Cafu" after another Brazilian football player named Cafuringa. Though he was not accepted into some big clubs in the early 1980s, he finally joined the youth team of São Paulo in 1988 and helped them win a youth tournament.

Club career

Cafu’s career took off when a coach at São Paulo suggested he switch from midfield to defense. He quickly became a key player, helping São Paulo win important tournaments in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, he joined a team in Spain called Real Zaragoza and won a cup with them, though he missed the final because of injury. He later played for Juventude in Brazil.

Cafu then moved to Roma in Italy, where he earned the nickname “The Express Train” for his fast runs up the field. He won a major Italian league title with Roma. Later, he played for AC Milan and won another league title and a European championship with them. In 2008, Cafu scored a goal in his final professional game, helping Milan win 4–1. He is honored in the halls of fame for both AC Milan and Roma.

Passport controversy

Cafu faced some questions about his passport, but these were cleared up. He was found not to have done anything wrong, and all charges against him and his wife were dropped.

International career

Cafu is the most-capped Brazilian men's player of all time with 142 appearances, including a record 20 World Cup games. He won two World Cups in (/wiki/1994_FIFA_World_Cup) and (/wiki/2002_FIFA_World_Cup), and was the only player to participate in three World Cup final matches. He earned his first cap in a friendly against Spain on 12 September 1990, and played in the 1994 World Cup final after an injury to Jorginho. After that, he became a regular starter as Brazil won the Copa América in (/wiki/1997_Copa_América) and (/wiki/1999_Copa_América), the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, and reached the 1998 World Cup final.

Brazil had a difficult time qualifying for the 2002 tournament, and Cafu faced criticism from the coach. However, he became captain again and helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup after defeating Germany 2–0. Four years later, Brazil did not perform as expected and exited in the quarter-finals after a 1–0 defeat by France. Cafu was one of the few players who spoke to the press after the team's return.

Style of play

Cafu is known as one of the best right-backs in football history. He was an attacking full-back before many others played that way, and he inspired players like Dani Alves, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Achraf Hakimi. He was famous for his speed, stamina, and his runs down the right side of the field, often sending perfect crosses to his teammates.

Besides his skills, Cafu was respected for his strong work ethic, leadership, and positive attitude. He could also play as a centre-back because of his defensive talents, or even as a right winger. While playing in Italy, he earned the nickname Pendolino, named after the country’s fast trains.

Personal life

Cafu married Regina Feliciano in 1987 and they had three children: two sons named Danilo and Wellington, and a daughter named Michelle.

Sadly, Danilo passed away after a health problem while playing football at home in 2019. Cafu supported a leader in Brazil’s elections in 2018.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cafu goal.

Honours

Cafu played for several top teams and won many important prizes during his career. With São Paulo, he won the top Brazilian league, the Campeonato Paulista, the Copa Libertadores, and other big titles. He also helped Real Zaragoza win a European competition.

Later, Cafu played for Palmeiras, Roma, and AC Milan, winning leagues in Italy and European trophies with AC Milan. With the Brazil national team, he helped the team win two FIFA World Cups and other major tournaments.

Cafu was also honored many times as one of the best players in the world, earning spots in teams made up of the greatest players of the year and of all time.