The Brazilian National Team played their second match in the 1970 World Cup. The Selecao faced England in Guadalajara. About 7,836 km to the southeast, in Sao Paulo, a boy named Marcos Evangelista de Morais was born. Brazil won the match against England 1-0. They won the next four games. The boy grew day by day. Brazil won their third world title. The boy got the nickname Cafu.
Brazil continued and continued to try to add to their collection of World Cup trophies after Mexico 1970. But Brazil continued and failed. They just won the World Cup final again with Cafu as part of the team. USA 1994 became Cafu’s first World Cup. His role is nothing more than a substitute. If it weren’t for Jorginho’s injury, he might not have featured in the final.
Four years later, Cafu’s role was completely different. He is already a major player. In the final, as in other matches, Cafu appeared from the first minute. France’s 1998 final result, however, differed from that of USA 1994. Cafu and Brazil lost three goals without reply. Brazil’s trip to Korea/Japan 2002 was not smooth. Cafu’s situation is also less than pleasant. By Brazil National Team Head Coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, Cafu’s captaincy role was revoked after the player was sent off in a qualifying match against Paraguay. Luxembourgo was sacked not long after. His position was replaced by Luiz Felipe Scolari.
“I was captain in every World Cup qualifier until Scolari took over and gave the armband to Emerson – a great player he has known well since they were at Gremio. Scolari came up to me and explained and I said it was okay; all I want is to be world champion again. He didn’t expect my answer, and we became friends.”
Emerson suffered a shoulder injury during qualifying. Scolari returned the armband to Cafu, who asked the coach to keep Emerson at the World Cup. “But I was helpless there; Scolari replaced him with Ricardinho,” said Cafu. Like the 1970 World Cup, Brazil won all the matches in the 2002 World Cup. Cafu felt he was on top of the world. So high that he did not hesitate to ask Sepp Blatter and Pele to help him hold the World Cup trophy display table. The display table is for trophies, not people; Cafu keeps going up. Lifting Brazil’s fifth World Cup high, Cafu shouted: “Regina, eu te amo!”—”Regina, I love you!” Everything just happened, without a plan.
“When I wrote ‘100% Jardim Irene’ on my T-shirt, and paid tribute to Regina, I didn’t plan it beforehand. I didn’t know all of this would happen,” Cafu said, as quoted from the FIFA website. “Regina has been with me for over 30 years and I think it’s only fair to give her credit at that time, considering the many things we’ve been through together.
“About Jardim Irene, that’s the favela where I was born, grew up, and now has a foundation. I want to show them that someone who comes from a humble environment, with no prospects at all, can still be a great athlete and a good person.”
Cafu continued to play after that. He even still captained the team at the 2006 World Cup. Brazil’s move in Germany, however, was stopped in the quarter-finals. Cafu is disappointed, but doesn’t hold much regret. After all, he is the only player to have appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals.
ASL
