Cafu

At 54 years old, Cafu has this physical status:

Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), also known as Cafu [ka'fu], is a Brazilian former professional footballer who competed as a defender.

He is the most internationally capped Brazilian player of all time, with 142 appearances for the Brazil national team.

He appeared in three FIFA World Cup finals between 1994 and 2006, the former as the team's captain, where he lifted the World Cup trophy.

He appeared in four editions of Copa América, winning the title twice in 1997 and 1999; he was also a member of the national team that defeated the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil; he was also a member of the national team that defeated the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. Cafu won numerous domestic and international championships while playing in Brazil, Spain, and Italy; he is best known for his stints with So Paulo, Roma, and Milan, which made history; he also played for Real Zaragoza, Juventude, and Palmeiras throughout his career.

He is known as one of the finest full backs of all time, one of the best defenders to play in Italian Serie A, and as one of the finest Brazilian and South American players of his generation.

In 1994, he was named South American Footballer of the Year, and in 2004, he was ranked No. 1 on the world's top living celebrities.

He was first ranked in the FIFA World XI in 2005.

Early life

Cafu was one of six children when he was born in So Paulo's Jardim Irene favela. He was able to attend a football academy at the age of seven and then moved to the junior teams of Nacional-SP, Portuguesa, and Itaquaquequecetuba. He also played futsal for two years.

He was refused from Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, Atlético Mineiro, and Portuguesa's youth squads in the 1980s, but he didn't play again until 1988, although So Paulo's 1990 Campeonato Paulista won the Copa So Paulo youth tournament won the Copa So Paulo youth tournament won the Copa So Paulo youth competition won the Copa So Paulo youth team defa.

Personal life

Cafu is married to Regina Felicia de Moraes, and the two sons they have together, Wellington and the late Danilo Feliciano de Moraes, are married.

Danilo suffered a heart attack while playing football at his family's house in September after complaining of being sick. Danilo was admitted to the hospital, where he died on September 4th, 2019.

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Club career

Telê Santana, a So Paulo youth coach, became Cafu's mentor at this time, but it wasn't until this period. Cafu's transfer from wingback to midfield, a position in which Cafu made the switch with ease despite never having played the position before. As Só Paulo's back-to-back Copa Libertadores and World Championships in 1992 and 1993, he was quickly anchored on the first team. In 1994, he was named South American Footballer of the Year. Cafu joined Real Zaragoza in the 1994–95 season, winning the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup with them (although he suffered with injuries and did not participate in the final). He left Zaragoza to join Brazilian club Juventude.

Cafu returned to Europe once more, this time with Palmeiras in 1996, where they defeated the Scudetto in 2001 and the Supercopa Italiana followed. Cafu obtained the nickname Il Pendolino ("The Express Train" or "The Commuter") during his time at Roma (read: "The Commuter"). Despite winning the Coppa Italia final in 2003 with Roma, he joined AC Milan after deciding against a move to Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos. Rossoneri won his second Scudetto appearance in 2004, followed by his second Supercopa Italiana, and he played in his first UEFA Champions League final in 2005.

Despite his success with Milan, he maintained fond memories of his Roma time, and it was for this reason that he said in a UEFA.com interview on March 4th that he did not want Milan to be drawn against the Giallorossi in the first round of the 2006-07 European Champions League. Milan got his wish when Milan was drawn against Bayern Munich. Cafu's fruitful Champions League campaign culminated in the award of a long-awaited winners' medal in a rematch of the 2005 finals.

Cafu signed a new deal extension in May 2007 that will keep him with Milan until the end of the 2007–08 season, winning his third World Championship title and his first FIFA World Cup appearance, as well as his first FIFA Club World Cup appearance. It was revealed on May 16, 2008, that Cafu and compatriot Serginho would leave Milan at the end of the season. Cafu's last game of his Milan career, and possibly his football career, he scored a goal in their 4–1 victory over Udinese. Adriano Galliani, the vice president of Milan, has welcomed him back to work for the club.

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

Cafu was charged with, alongside Roma teammates Fábio Jnior and Gustavo Bartelt, countryman and Milan teammate Dida, of using a forged passport in their attempt to skirt laws regarding the number of non-European players allowed on Italian club rosters. The charge was dismissed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as Cafu's Italian passport was valid and issued by Italian authorities, but 13 others, including Dida, were barred, but thirteen others, including Dida, were refused. However, Cafu's wife, Regina, faced another controversy, similar to Juan Sebastián Verón, who argued that Cafu's wife, Regina used falsified documents to claim Italian nationality by Italian descent. Cafu obtained Italian nationality by marriage. Franco Sensi, the president of Cafu and Roma, went to court in 2004.

Following the emergence of a false-passport scandal, Rome prosecutor Angelantonio Racanelli called for the detention of Cafu, his wife Regina de Morais, and his agent for nine months on June 12, 2006, less than 24 hours before Brazil's 2006 World Cup campaign against Croatia. However, Cafu, his wife, and an agent were cleared of all charges immediately next day.

International career

Cafu is the most-capped Brazilian men's player of all time, with 142 appearances, including a record 20 World Cup games. He has won two World Cups in 1994 and 2002, as well as being the only one to participate in three World Cup final matches. Cafu's 15 matches in World Cups also won the most (along with two games that Brazil won on penalties) before being defeated by Germany's Miroslav Klose in the 2014 World Cup.

He earned his first cap against Spain on September 12, 1990, and played sparingly for Brazil in the early 1990s, making the 1994 World Cup roster as a replacement. Following an injury to Jorginho in the 22nd minute, he was in the final against Italy. Cafu's was soon a regular in the starting eleven after Brazil defeated Copa América in 1997 and 1999, the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, and reached the 1998 World Cup final.

Brazil endured a turbulent qualification for the 2002 tournament, during which Cafu came under intense criticism from coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, who stripped him of his team captaincy after he was dismissed in a qualifier against Paraguay. Luxemburgo had been out of work, and replacement Luiz Felipe Scolari named Emerson his new captain shortly after that. However, Emerson missed the cut after he dislocated his shoulder in preparation, which allowed Cafu to regain the armband. After Brazil defeated Germany 2–0 in the final match (Cafu's third straight World Cup final), he appeared on the victory podium during the match celebrations and told his wife, "Regina, eu te amo!" as he raised the World Cup trophy.

("Regina, I love you!

"It's a lot to do."

Cafu and Brazil fell short of the high hopes set for the team four years ago in 2006, when Brazil ekly exited in the quarter-finals after losing by 1–0 to France. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was chastised for including fading veterans, most notably 36-year-old Cafu and 33-year-old Roberto Carlos, in the starting XI in place of younger players. Following the team's return home, Cafu was one of only a handful of Brazil players to speak to the world after the team's return home. He still expressed an interest in attending the 2010 World Cup, but he did not take part in the 2008 World Cup because he retired completely from football in 2008.

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