Taffarel
Brazil's most capped goalkeeper and hero of the 1994 World Cup triumph.
Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel (born 8 May 1966) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who is the goalkeeping coach of the Brazil national team. A goalkeeper, Taffarel began his senior career in 1985 with Internacional and later played for Parma, Reggiana, Atlético Mineiro, and Galatasaray. He retired in 2003 after a second spell at Parma.
- Position
- Goalkeeper
- National Team
- Brazil
- World Cup Victories
- 1994, 2002
- Notable Clubs
- São Paulo, Parma, Valencia
- Status
- Retired
- Era
- Late 1980s – mid 2000s
Lore & Background
Taffarel played a key role in Brazil's victorious 1994 World Cup campaign and also appeared in eight other major international tournaments, winning two Copa América titles (1989 and 1997) and a World Cup runners-up finish in 1998. He won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea. At club level, he won the Coppa Italia in 1992, the Cup Winners' Cup in 1993, and with Galatasaray won two Süper Lig titles, the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, and the 2000 UEFA Super Cup. He was man of the match in the UEFA Cup final shootout victory over Arsenal.
In Their Own Story
Pasadena, July 1994. The air is thick, the grass worn to a pale green under the stadium lights. Taffarel stands in his crease, chest heaving, the 0-0 scoreline a wound that will not close. Italy's takers step up one by one. He throws his weight left, right, reads the set-up, the shoulder dip, the last micro-movement. When Baggio strikes, the ball kisses the crossbar and drops. Taffarel does not celebrate. He simply turns, points to the sky, and lets the roar of the Brazilian crowd wash over him. The trophy is his to hold, but the silence before the final kick was his to survive.
Reader's Guide
Taffarel is regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers, known for his explosive reflexes, positional sense, composure, and penalty-stopping abilities. He was quick off his line and skilled with the ball at his feet, but struggled at times with crosses and handling. He earned the nickname 'Saint Taffarel' in Brazil but faced criticism from Italian pundits for mental lapses and technical errors. He was a key dressing room personality.
Did You Know?
- Taffarel saved two penalties in Brazil's 4–2 shootout victory over the Netherlands in the 1998 World Cup semi-finals.
- He saved three penalties against West Germany in the 1988 Olympic semi-finals, including two in the shootout.
- Taffarel played as a centre-forward for his local church team while without a professional club in 1994.
- He refused a farewell match upon retirement in 2003, calling it 'not interested in such fanfare'.
More in Legendary Players & Icons
Elsewhere in the FIFA World Cup universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record