Cafu Brazilian footballer Date of Birth: 07.06.1970 Country: Brazil

Biography of Cafu

Cafu, a Brazilian football player, is a two-time world champion as part of the Brazilian national team (1994, 2002). He was the captain of the national team in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He is the first and only player to have played in three World Cup finals (1994, 1998, 2002). Cafu was born on June 7, 1970, in São Paulo, Brazil. From a young age, he tried to break into various clubs but was rejected each time. He signed a contract with São Paulo in 1988. In the 1989 season, he played three games in the national championship. He gradually became a regular player and, together with the team, won the Brazilian championship in 1991. His debut for the Brazilian national team took place on September 12, 1990, in a match against Spain (0:3). He participated in four Copa America tournaments (1991, 1993, 1997, 1999), winning twice and finishing second once. He was part of the "Seleção" when the team won the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and in the same year, he was named the best player in South America as a right-back.

The first European club Cafu moved to was Spanish club Real Zaragoza, which won the UEFA Cup in the 1994/95 season. Cafu played only one season for the Spanish team before returning to Brazil to join Palmeiras. In the summer of 1997, he signed a contract with Italian club Roma. Due to his speed, the Roman fans gave him the nickname "Pendolino" (the name of an Italian high-speed train). Under the guidance of Italian coach Fabio Capello, Roma won the Serie A in the 2000/01 season, and the following year, Cafu, now captain of the national team, won the 2002 World Cup. In the 2003/04 season, the right-back started playing for Milan. Together with the "Rossoneri," Cafu won the Italian championship title in 2004, conquered the Super Cup of the country, and played all 120 minutes of the UEFA Champions League final in the 2004/05 season, where Liverpool defeated the Italian club on penalties after a 3-3 draw in regular time. Starting from the 2005/06 season, Cafu became less of a regular player. In the 2006/07 season, Milan acquired Massimo Oddo from Lazio for his position.

However, Brazil's coach Carlos Alberto Parreira still gave Cafu a place as the starting right-back in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The quarter-final exit raised concerns among the Brazilian football community, and former renowned midfielder of the national team, Dunga, was appointed as the new coach. He focused on rejuvenating the national team and stopped calling up many "veterans" (including Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Cafu). Cafu played a total of 20 matches in World Cups, sharing 6th-7th place with Poland's Grzegorz Lato in terms of the number of matches played in the tournament. He is the record holder in the Brazilian national team, having played 142 games for the "Seleção" over 16 years. In the 2007/08 season, Cafu started on the bench as his speed and physical preparation no longer satisfied Carlo Ancelotti. At the end of the season, he decided to end his football career.

In mid-February 2008, there were rumors that the 37-year-old Brazilian had received an offer from Ukrainian club Arsenal Kyiv to continue his career in Ukraine. These rumors were not confirmed and simply became part of a PR campaign by the management of the "Gunners" aimed at increasing the team's popularity. When Cafu was informed about Vadim Rabinovich's desire, the Brazilian said he had never heard anything funnier in his life.