| FULL NAME | Marcos Evangelista de Morais |
| BORN | June 7, 1970 |
| HEIGHT | 5 ft 9 in (1.76 m) |
| NATIONALITY | Brazilian |
| ROLE | Right back/Centre back |
Biography of Cafu
Marcos Evangelista de Morais, better known by his nickname Cafu, is a former Brazilian professional footballer who played for clubs such as Juventus, Roma, and A.C Milan. The 5ft 9in right back is one of the game’s most well-known figures, having appeared in over 400 club appearances.
Former Brazilian captain and World Cup winner in 1994 and 2002, he holds the record for most international caps by a Brazilian player. Cafu is noted for his speed, stamina, and tactical knowledge, which he uses to make overlapping offensive runs down the right side.
Background
He rose up the ranks after joining a football academy at the age of seven, representing the youth teams of several Brazilian clubs such as Nacional-SP, Portuguesa, and Itaquaquecetuba.
After being rejected by teams such as Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, Atlético Mineiro, and Portuguesa, he won the Copa So Paulo youth competition with So Paulo in the 1980s. Telê Santana, a young coach in So Paulo, took a like to him and became his mentor.
Debut
Cafu made his international debut against Spain on September 12, 1990, in a 3-0 loss for Brazil.
Cafu was shifted from wingback to midfield by Telê Santana, who believed it better suited his skills.
The switch began to pay off when he was named to So Paulo’s first squad, which won back-to-back Copa Libertadores and World Championships in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, he was awarded the South American Footballer of the Year.
Ascend to greatness
Cafu began the 1995 season with Juventude, a Brazilian youth team, where he did not play a single competitive match. He went on to play with Real Zaragoza in Spain, where he made 16 appearances and won the 1995 Cup Winners’ Cup.
From 1995 to 1997, he played for Palmeiras before returning to Europe to play for Roma. He spent six years there, appearing in 163 games and scoring five goals.
In 2001, he won the Scudetto, then the Supercoppa Italiana, earning him the moniker Il Pendolino.
However, he chose to join rivals A.C Milan over Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan. In 2004, he won his second Scudetto of his career, as well as his second Supercoppa Italiana, with “the Diavolo.”
After failing to reach the finals of the 2005 UEFA Champions League, he won another UEFA Supercup and his third World Title at Club level in 2007.
By the end of the season, he announced his retirement and scored in his final match for the club, a 4–1 triumph against Udinese.
Points of weakness
After the 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 semi-finals, Brazil’s football federation president Jose Maria Marin instructed the previous title-winning captain to keep away from the dressing room, stating that “he didn’t want any weird individuals.”
Career in the club
Cafu transferred from So Paulo to Real Zaragoza at €1.5 million in July 1994. In January 1995, he joined Palmeiras, for whom he was paid €1.5 million.
He was later acquired for a substantial cost of €7,60 million by AS Roma, where he spent the most of his career. In 2003, he signed as a free agent with A.C Milan, where he won the Uefa Champions League.
Records
In March 2004, Pelé rated him one of the top 125 best living players. In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of Rio Branco. A.C Milan and A.S Roma inducted him into their halls of fame. He has the most national team caps of any Brazilian player.
Retirement
After losing to France in the 2006 World Cup, many of the veterans, notably Roberto Carlos and Cafu, were questioned. They resigned from international duty in 2006 after making only six appearances in the calendar year.
In July 2008, he took a short international vacation before joining non-league team Garforth Town in the middle of the 2008/09 season and retiring at the conclusion of the season.