Cafu

Marcos Evangelista De Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a right-back.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time, he is known for his pace and energetic attacking runs along the right flank.

He is the most-capped player for the Brazil national team with 142 appearances.

In the early 1980s, he was rejected from the youth squads of Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, Atlético Mineiro, and Portuguesa, but 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 did not play during the next season as São Paulo won the 1989 Campeonato Paulista.

It was during this time, however, that São Paulo youth coach Telê Santana became Cafu's mentor.

He suggested that Cafu move from wingback to midfield, a spot into which Cafu made the transition with ease despite never previously playing the position.

At club level, Cafu won several domestic and international titles while playing in Brazil, Spain, and Italy; he is best known for his spells at São Paulo (1989–1995), Roma (1997-2003), and AC Milan (2003-08), teams with which he made history, although he also played briefly for Zaragoza, Juventude, and Palmeiras during a two-year spell from 1995 to 1997.

He had soon anchored onto the first team, as São Paulo won back-to-back Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 1992 and 1993.

In 1994, Cafu was crowned South American Footballer of the Year, and in 2004, was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

Cafu represented his nation in four FIFA World Cups between 1994 and 2006, and is the only player in history to have appeared in three World Cup finals, both overall and consecutive, winning the 1994 and 2002 editions of the tournament, the latter as his team's captain where he lifted the World Cup trophy.

In 1994, he was named the South American Footballer of the Year.

Halfway through the 1994–95 season, Cafu joined Spanish side Real Zaragoza, winning the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup with them (though he had injury issues and did not play in the final).

He then left Zaragoza to join Brazilian club Juventude.

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.

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").

With Brazil, he also took part in four editions of the Copa América, winning the title twice, in 1997 and 1999; he was also a member of the national side that won the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup.

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

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.

Despite making the Coppa Italia final in 2003 with Roma, he moved to AC Milan, after turning down a move to Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos.

With the Rossoneri, he won his second career Scudetto in 2004, followed by his second Supercoppa Italiana, and he played in his first UEFA Champions League final in 2005.

The following season, he made fewer appearances for Milan due to injury and difficulties in his personal life.

In 2004, Cafu and Roma club president Franco Sensi went to court.

He was additionally named to the FIFPro World XI in 2005, and in 2020 was included in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

Milan's successful Champions League campaign saw Cafu finally pick up a long-awaited winners' medal, in a rematch of the 2005 final.

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 and his agent for nine months following the resurfacing of a false-passport scandal.

The very next day, however, Cafu, his wife and agent were acquitted of all charges.

Cafu is the most-capped Brazilian men's player of all time with 142 appearances, including a record 20 World Cup games.

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 quarter-final round.

He got his wish, as Milan were drawn against Bayern Munich.

Cafu signed a contract extension in May 2007 that would keep him with Milan until the end of the 2007–08 season, during which he won another UEFA Supercup, and his third world title at club level and now his first FIFA Club World Cup.

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 of his professional career, he scored a goal in their 4–1 victory over Udinese.

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani stated that the door would be open to him to return to work for the club.

He is a member of the AC Milan and the Roma Halls of Fame.

Cafu was accused along with several other Serie A players, including Roma teammate Fábio Júnior and Gustavo Bartelt, countryman and later Milan teammate Dida, of using a 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 the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as Cafu's Italian passport was real and issued by Italian officials, but 13 others – including Dida – were banned.

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.

Cafu acquired Italian nationality through marriage.