# Cafu
**Cafu** (Marcos Evangelista de Morais; born 1970 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a right-back for São Paulo, Roma, and [AC Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ac-milan), and is Brazil's most-capped male international with 142 appearances over a 16-year national-team career.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) • [2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) He is the only player to have appeared in three consecutive [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup) finals, winning in 1994 and 2002, the latter as Brazil's captain.[3](https://www.spfcpedia.com.br/ebooks/2020-12-18_institucional-mundial2005_ptbr.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, born | Marcos Evangelista de Morais, 1970, São Paulo, Brazil; position right-back[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) |
| Brazil caps | 142, a national record, from a debut on 12 September 1990 (Brazil 0-3 Spain)[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) • [4](https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/cafu-intl.html) |
| World Cup finals | Three consecutive finals, 1994, 1998, and 2002; winner in 1994 and 2002, captain in 2002[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) |
| São Paulo (1989-1994) | 1 Brazilian championship (1991), 2 Copa Libertadores (1992, 1993), 2 Intercontinental Cups (1992, 1993)[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) |
| Roma (1997-2003) | 163 games, Serie A title 2000-01, Supercoppa Italiana 2001[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) • [1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) |
| Milan (2003-2008) | Serie A 2003-04, UEFA Champions League 2007, FIFA Club World Cup 2007, 2 UEFA Super Cups, Supercoppa Italiana 2004[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/cafu-921/) |
| Nickname | "Il Pendolino" (the express train), given by Roma supporters[6](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2374767/cafu-profile) |
## Early career at São Paulo
Cafu grew up supporting São Paulo and joined the club's youth ranks, making his first-team debut in 1989.[3](https://www.spfcpedia.com.br/ebooks/2020-12-18_institucional-mundial2005_ptbr.pdf) He began as a defensive midfielder and made over 100 appearances in five seasons at the club.[7](https://www.11v11.com/players/cafu-921/) The São Paulo coach Tele Santana suggested he move from midfield to full-back, the position he was to make his own as the club won back-to-back [Copa Libertadores](https://www.edgepedia.org/copa-libertadores) titles in 1992 and 1993.[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) In those five seasons he also collected a Brazilian championship (1991), two Intercontinental Cups (1992 and 1993, against Barcelona and Milan), and Paulista state championships.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) • [8](https://www.spfcpedia.com.br/ebooks/site/institucional_sao-paulo-futebol-clube_2013.pdf)
His Brazil debut came on 12 September 1990 in a 0-3 friendly loss to Spain, and by his early twenties he was a regular for both club and country.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/)
## Zaragoza and Palmeiras
After the 1994 World Cup, won by Brazil against Italy in the final, Cafu moved to Europe for the first time, joining [Real Zaragoza](https://www.edgepedia.org/real-zaragoza) in Spain for the 1994-95 season.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) He played 16 league games for the Spanish club, was unhappy, and returned to Brazil to join Palmeiras.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) The Zaragoza spell did yield one trophy, the European Cup Winners' Cup for 1994-95.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) In 1994 he was also named South American Player of the Year.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/)
## Roma
In 1997 the Roma president Franco Sensi signed him, and he made his [Serie A](https://www.edgepedia.org/serie-a) debut on 31 August 1997 in Empoli-Roma, 1-3.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) Roma supporters nicknamed him Il Pendolino, the express train, for his unstoppable runs down the right flank.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) • [6](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2374767/cafu-profile) Under Zdeněk Zeman and then [Fabio Capello](https://www.edgepedia.org/fabio-capello) he reached his definitive form, forming with Vincent Candela a pair of attacking full-backs of great effectiveness.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/)
He spent six seasons at Roma, playing 163 games and winning the Serie A title in 2000-01, the club's first scudetto in 18 years.[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) • [3](https://www.spfcpedia.com.br/ebooks/2020-12-18_institucional-mundial2005_ptbr.pdf) His first European appearance for the club came on 15 September 1998, in a 2-0 UEFA Cup win at Silkeborg.[9](https://media.asroma.com/prod/files/file/gm-57041aba-52fe-4d87-9255-26c6f349b9f8-classes-of-2012-and-2013-stat-book.pdf) Roma later inducted him into its Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2012.[9](https://media.asroma.com/prod/files/file/gm-57041aba-52fe-4d87-9255-26c6f349b9f8-classes-of-2012-and-2013-stat-book.pdf)
## Milan
Cafu moved to AC Milan in 2003 and stayed until 2008, making 166 appearances and scoring 4 goals for the club.[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) • [10](https://snl.no/Cafu) In 2003-04 he won his second Serie A title, along with the [Supercoppa Italiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/supercoppa-italiana).[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/cafu-921/) His major European honors with Milan were the [UEFA Super Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-super-cup) in 2003 and 2007, the [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) in 2007, and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2007.[5](https://www.11v11.com/players/cafu-921/) He was a member of the Milan side that reached the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, where Milan lost to Liverpool on penalties after leading 3-0; in that match Cafu and Paolo Maldini provided the width in Milan's midfield diamond.[11](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/368100.pdf)
## Brazil and the World Cups
Cafu's international career spanned 16 years and a record 142 games for Brazil, more than any other player for the country.[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) • [4](https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/cafu-intl.html) He played in three consecutive World Cup finals: a winner in 1994, a runner-up in 1998, and captain when Brazil won its fifth title in 2002.[2](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu) He is the only player in history to have taken part in three consecutive World Cup finals.[3](https://www.spfcpedia.com.br/ebooks/2020-12-18_institucional-mundial2005_ptbr.pdf) With Brazil he also won the [Copa América](https://www.edgepedia.org/copa-america) in 1997 and 1999 and the [FIFA Confederations Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-confederations-cup) in 1997.[1](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/) • [5](https://www.11v11.com/players/cafu-921/)
## Playing style and standing
Cafu was an attacking right-back whose defining trait was endurance: he was listed as a defender but made relentless forays down the right flank, with immense attacking influence, defensive awareness, and unerring crosses.[12](https://sport360.com/article/football/329226/cafu-and-philipp-lahm-are-the-best-full-backs-of-all-time-in-tiered-rankings) During the 1990s he laid down the blueprint for the modern attacking full-back, a hybrid profile that defends one minute and plays as an auxiliary winger the next.[12](https://sport360.com/article/football/329226/cafu-and-philipp-lahm-are-the-best-full-backs-of-all-time-in-tiered-rankings) Standing 1.76 m, he compensated for modest height with stamina and reading of the game.[13](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/13692/review-of-youth-development-in-men-s-football.pdf)
He is consistently placed among the greatest full-backs in the sport's history. FourFourTwo's all-time ranking of the 100 best players includes him, and its ranking of full-backs describes him as an extraordinarily energetic presence who won the Scudetto with both Roma and Milan and the Champions League with the latter.[14](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/the-best-full-backs-of-all-time) A UEFA technical report on the 2004-05 Champions League listed him, with [Roberto Carlos](https://www.edgepedia.org/roberto-carlos), among the most influential full-backs in the competition, noting that Europe had traditionally produced predominantly defensive full-backs while such influential figures hailed from other continents.[11](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/368100.pdf)
## References
1. [CAFU, Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, Enciclopedia dello Sport, Treccani](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marcos-evangelista-de-moraes-cafu_(Enciclopedia-dello-Sport)/)
2. [Cafu, Laureus World Sports Academy member profile](https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-academy/members/cafu)
3. [São Paulo FC institutional publication (2020), spfcpedia.com.br](https://www.spfcpedia.com.br/ebooks/2020-12-18_institucional-mundial2005_ptbr.pdf)
4. [Marcos Evangelista de Morais "CAFU" - Century of International Appearances, RSSSF](https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/cafu-intl.html)
5. [Cafu Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/cafu-921/)
6. [Cafu profile, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2374767/cafu-profile)
7. [Cafu Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com (career start)](https://www.11v11.com/players/cafu-921/)
8. [Above all else, Cafu is, São Paulo FC institutional publication (2013)](https://www.spfcpedia.com.br/ebooks/site/institucional_sao-paulo-futebol-clube_2013.pdf)
9. [AS Roma Hall of Fame Bio & Stats Bookguide, Classes of 2012 and 2013](https://media.asroma.com/prod/files/file/gm-57041aba-52fe-4d87-9255-26c6f349b9f8-classes-of-2012-and-2013-stat-book.pdf)
10. [Cafu, Store norske leksikon](https://snl.no/Cafu)
11. [UEFA Champions League 2004/05 Technical Report](https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/368100.pdf)
12. [Cafu and Philipp Lahm are the best full-backs of all time in tiered rankings, Sport360](https://sport360.com/article/football/329226/cafu-and-philipp-lahm-are-the-best-full-backs-of-all-time-in-tiered-rankings)
13. [Review of Youth Development in Men's Football, Scottish FA](https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/13692/review-of-youth-development-in-men-s-football.pdf)
14. [The best full-backs of all time, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/the-best-full-backs-of-all-time)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of South America › Brazilian men's footballers › Brazilian footballers of the 1970s–1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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