Cafu

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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, the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, and reached the 1998 World Cup final. Brazil endured a rocky qualification for the 2002 tournament, during which Cafu came under heavy criticism from coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who stripped him of the team captaincy after he was sent off in a qualifier against Paraguay. Shortly after that, however, 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 (Cafu's third consecutive World Cup final), he stood on the victory podium during the postmatch celebration and, as he raised the World Cup trophy, shouted to his wife, "Regina, eu te amo!" ("Regina, I love you!"). Cafu had also written "100% Jardim Irene" on his shirt as an homage to his upbringing. Cafu and Brazil fell short of high expectations placed on the squad four years later in 2006, as Brazil meekly exited in the quarter-finals after a 1–0 defeat by France.

In Their Own Story

The 2002 World Cup final. Brazil vs. Germany. Cafu, having regained the captain's armband after Emerson dislocated his shoulder in training, led his team onto the pitch. It was his third consecutive World Cup final, a record no other player holds. After a tense 0-0 first half, Ronaldo scored twice in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory. As Cafu lifted the World Cup trophy on the victory podium, he shouted to his wife, "Regina, eu te amo!" He had also written "100% Jardim Irene" on his shirt as an homage to his upbringing in the Jardim Irene favela of São Paulo.

Reader's Guide

Cafu represented his nation 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 (1994, 1998, 2002) and one of only 21 players to have won the World Cup more than once, winning the 1994 and 2002 editions of the tournament. He is the most-capped Brazilian men's player of all time with 142 appearances, including a record 20 World Cup games. He also held the record of winning the most matches in World Cups with 15 (along with two games Brazil won on penalties), before being surpassed by Germany's Miroslav Klose in the 2014 World Cup. He earned his first cap in a friendly against Spain on 12 September 1990. He appeared in the 1994 final against Italy, following an injury to Jorginho in the 22nd minute. He captained Brazil to the title in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In 2006, Brazil exited in the quarter-finals after a 1–0 defeat by France.

Did You Know?

• Cafu is the only player in history to have appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals (1994, 1998, 2002).
• He is the most-capped player for the Brazil national team with 142 appearances.
• He won the World Cup twice, in 1994 and 2002, the latter as captain.
• Cafu earned his first cap in a friendly against Spain on 12 September 1990.
• He wrote '100% Jardim Irene' on his shirt during the 2002 World Cup final as an homage to his upbringing.