Cafu

Lore & Background

Cafu was raised in the Jardim Irene favela of São Paulo, one of six children. He received the nickname 'Cafu' as a child, in honor of the Brazilian winger Cafuringa. He was rejected from the youth squads of Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, Atlético Mineiro, and Portuguesa in the early 1980s, but made the youth squad of hometown club São Paulo in 1988. He won the Copa São Paulo youth tournament that year, but did not play during the next season as São Paulo won the 1989 Campeonato Paulista. At club level, he played for São Paulo (1989–1995), Zaragoza, Juventude, and Palmeiras (1995–1997), Roma (1997–2003), and AC Milan (2003–2008). He won the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup with Zaragoza, the Scudetto with Roma in 2000–01, and the Scudetto with AC Milan in 2004, as well as the UEFA Champions League with Milan in 2007. He also won the FIFA Club World Cup with Milan in 2007. He is a member of the AC Milan and the Roma Halls of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The air at the Estádio do Morumbi was thick with anticipation as the final whistle approached against Boca Juniors. Cafu stood on the halfway line, his lungs burning after ninety minutes of non-stop running up and down the right flank. He didn't just defend; he orchestrated the attack, overlapping wingers and delivering pinpoint crosses that kept the Argentine giants guessing. As the trophy was lifted into the São Paulo night sky, the roar of the 'Torcida Jovem' echoed his name, a testament to a player who gave everything for the shirt.

Reader's Guide

Cafu represented Brazil in four FIFA World Cups between 1994 and 2006. He is the only player in history to have appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals and one of only 21 players to have won the World Cup more than once, winning the 1994 and 2002 editions, the latter as captain. He also won the Copa América twice (1997 and 1999) and the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. He earned his first cap in a friendly against Spain on 12 September 1990, and made 142 appearances for Brazil, including a record 20 World Cup games. He was named South American Footballer of the Year in 1994, included in the FIFA 100 list in 2004, named in the FIFPro World XI in 2005, and included in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020.

Did You Know?

• Cafu was rejected from the youth squads of Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, Atlético Mineiro, and Portuguesa before joining São Paulo.
• He is the only player to have appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals (1994, 1998, 2002).
• Cafu scored a goal in his last professional match, a 4–1 victory for AC Milan over Udinese.
• He was cleared of passport fraud charges by the Italian Football Federation and later acquitted in court.