Cafu

Personal information
Full name	Marcos Evangelista de Moraes
Date of birth	(1970-06-07) 7 June 1970 (age 42)
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Right back
Youth career
1988–1990	São Paulo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1989–1994	São Paulo	98	(7)
1995	Zaragoza	16	(0)
1996–1997	Palmeiras	36	(2)
1997–2003	Roma	163	(5)
2003–2008	Milan	119	(4)
Total		448	(16)
National team
1990–2006	Brazil	142	(5[1])
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Marcos Evangelista de Moraes (born 7 June 1970), better known as Cafu, is a former Brazilian footballer. He is the most internationally capped male Brazilian player and also made history playing for São Paulo, Roma and Milan. He is the only player ever to have appeared in three World Cup finals, having won two, 1994 and 2002.

Cafu was named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He is best known for his tireless overlapping runs.

Early life[link]

One of six children, Cafu was raised in the Jardim Irene favela 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.

Club career[link]

It was during this time, however, that São Paulo youth coach Telê Santana 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 Winners' 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.

Cafu playing for Milan

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.

Passport controversy[link]

Cafu was accused along with several other Serie A 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.^[2] 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.^[3] Cafu acquired Italian nationality through marriage. In 2004, Cafu and Roma president Franco Sensi went to court.^[4][5]

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 Moraes, and his agent for nine months following the resurfacing of a false-passport scandal.^[6] The very next day, however, Cafu, his wife, and agent were acquitted of all charges.^[7]

International career[link]

Cafu playing for Brazil.

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, as well as being the only player to participate in three World Cup final matches. He holds the record of winning the most number of matches in World Cups with 16.

Cafu earned his first cap in a friendly against Spain on 12 September 1990, and played sparingly for Brazil in the early 1990s, 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.

Career statistics[link]

^[8]

Honours[link]

Club[link]

São Paulo

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (1): 1991
• Campeonato Paulista (2): 1991, 1992
• Copa Libertadores (2): 1992, 1993
• Intercontinental Cup (2): 1992, 1993
• Supercopa Sudamericana (1): 1993
• Recopa Sudamericana (2): 1993, 1994
• Copa CONMEBOL (1): 1994

Real Zaragoza

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1995

Palmeiras

• Campeonato Paulista (1): 1996

Roma

• Serie A (1): 2001
• Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2001

Ac Milan

• UEFA Super Cup: 2003
• Serie A (1): 2004
• Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2004
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2007
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 2007
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2007

Country[link]

Brazil

• FIFA World Cup (2): 1994, 2002
• Copa América (2): 1997, 1999
• FIFA Confederations Cup (1): 1997

Individual[link]

• South American Footballer of the Year (1): 1994
• Officer of the Order of Rio Branco: 2008

References[link]

General

Bibliography

• Roma clinch Italian title – BBC Sport, 6/17/01
• "Commuter" Cafu finally arrives at his destination – Reuters, 5/23/05
• Cafu: I've lived in hell – Deutschland 2006, 2/8/06
• Surprise, sadness and anger following Brazil's World Cup exit – People's Daily Online, 7/4/06
• Chat session – UEFA.com, 3/4/07

External links[link]

• Cafu – FIFA competition record
• Official Cafu Foundation site (Portuguese)
• Cafu profile by Aaron Marcus – acmilan-online.com
• Career stats – acmilan.com
• Cafu statistics and biography at FootballDatabase.com
• Champions League profile – UEFA.com

Brazil squad v t e Brazil squad – 1991 Copa América Runners-up 1 Taffarel 2 Mazinho 3 Cléber 4 Ricardo Rocha 5 Mauro Silva 6 Branco 7 Renato Gaúcho 8 Valdir 9 Bianchezi 10 Neto 11 João Paulo 12 Sérgio 13 Cafu 14 Gottardo 15 Márcio Santos 16 Lira 17 Márcio 18 Raí 19 Luís Henrique 20 Mazinho Oliveira 21 Silvio 22 Ronaldo Coach: Falcão v t e Brazil squad – 1993 Copa América 1 Taffarel 2 Cafu 3 Antônio Carlos 4 Válber 5 César Sampaio 6 Roberto Carlos 7 Edmundo 8 Boiadeiro 9 Müller 10 Palhinha 11 Zinho 12 Carlos 13 Winck 14 Luís Henrique 15 Paulão 16 Elivélton 17 Luisinho 18 Marquinhos 19 Edílson 20 Almir 21 Viola 22 Zetti Coach: Parreira v t e Brazil squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup Winners (4th Title) 1 Taffarel 2 Jorginho 3 Ricardo Rocha 4 Ronaldão 5 Mauro Silva 6 Branco 7 Bebeto 8 Dunga (c) 9 Zinho 10 Raí 11 Romário 12 Zetti 13 Aldair 14 Cafu 15 Márcio Santos 16 Leonardo 17 Mazinho 18 Paulo Sérgio 19 Müller 20 Ronaldo 21 Viola 22 Gilmar Coach: Parreira v t e Brazil squad – 1997 Copa América Winners (5th Title) 1 Taffarel 2 Cafu 3 Aldair 4 Márcio Santos 5 Mauro Silva 6 Roberto Carlos 7 Giovanni 8 Dunga 9 Ronaldo 10 Leonardo 11 Romário 12 Carlos Germano 13 Djalminha 14 Zé Maria 15 Célio Silva 16 Gonçalves 17 Zé Roberto 18 César Sampaio 19 Flávio Conceição 20 Denílson 21 Edmundo 22 Paulo Nunes Coach: Zagallo v t e Brazil squad – 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup Winners (1st Title) 1 Dida 2 Cafu 3 Aldair 4 Júnior Baiano 5 Dunga 6 Roberto Carlos 7 Bebeto 8 Flávio Conceição 9 Ronaldo 10 Leonardo 11 Romário 12 Rogério Ceni 13 Zé Maria 14 Gonçalves 15 Zé Roberto 16 César Sampaio 17 Doriva 18 Denílson 19 Juninho 20 Rivaldo 21 Rodrigo 22 Russo Coach: Zagallo v t e Brazil squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup Runners-up 1 Taffarel 2 Cafu 3 Aldair 4 Júnior Baiano 5 César Sampaio 6 Roberto Carlos 7 Giovanni 8 Dunga (c) 9 Ronaldo 10 Rivaldo 11 Emerson 12 Carlos Germano 13 Zé Carlos 14 Gonçalves 15 André Cruz 16 Zé Roberto 17 Doriva 18 Leonardo 19 Denílson 20 Bebeto 21 Edmundo 22 Dida Coach: Zagallo v t e Brazil squad – 1999 Copa América Winners (6th Title) 1 Dida 2 Cafu 3 Odvan 4 Antônio Carlos 5 Emerson 6 Roberto Carlos 7 Amoroso 8 Vampeta 9 Ronaldo 10 Rivaldo 11 Alex 12 Marcos 13 Evanílson 14 César Belli 15 João Carlos 16 Serginho 17 Marcos Paulo 18 Flávio Conceição 19 Beto 20 Christian 21 Ronaldinho 22 Zé Roberto Coach: Luxemburgo v t e Brazil squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup Winners (5th Title) 1 Marcos 2 Cafu (c) 3 Lúcio 4 Roque Júnior 5 Edmílson 6 Roberto Carlos 7 Ricardinho 8 Gilberto Silva 9 Ronaldo 10 Rivaldo 11 Ronaldinho 12 Dida 13 Belletti 14 Ânderson Polga 15 Kléberson 16 Júnior 17 Denílson 18 Vampeta 19 Juninho Paulista 20 Edílson 21 Luizão 22 Rogério Ceni 23 Kaká Coach: Scolari v t e Brazil squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Dida 2 Cafu (c) 3 Lúcio 4 Juan 5 Emerson 6 Roberto Carlos 7 Adriano 8 Kaká 9 Ronaldo 10 Ronaldinho 11 Zé Roberto 12 Rogério Ceni 13 Cicinho 14 Luisão 15 Cris 16 Gilberto 17 Gilberto Silva 18 Mineiro 19 Juninho 20 Ricardinho 21 Fred 22 Júlio César 23 Robinho Coach: Parreira