player
Cafu: Career Stats, Clubs and Honours
Cafu career statistics, clubs, senior international record, major honours, playing style and all-time defender ranking case.
Summary
Cafu made repeated high-speed running, recovery and overlap work look like the normal baseline for an elite right-back.
Quick facts
- Primary role
- Right back
- Senior career
- 1989–2008
- Major clubs
- São Paulo, Palmeiras, Roma, AC Milan
- Senior national record
- 142 caps / 5 goals for Brazil
- Defenders ranking
- #4 in The Top Football's all-time list
Verified record
Career statistics
Documented senior first-team appearances and goals by club, plus official senior international caps and goals.
| Club | Years | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 1989–1995 | 216 | 33 |
| Zaragoza | 1995 | 16 | 0 |
| Juventude | 1995 | 2 | 0 |
| Palmeiras | 1995–1997 | 41 | 2 |
| Roma | 1997–2003 | 163 | 5 |
| AC Milan | 2003–2008 | 119 | 4 |
| Club total | — | 557 | 44 |
| National team | Years | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1990–2006 | 142 | 5 |
Major team honours
- Brazil FIFA World Cup ×2
- Brazil Copa América ×2
- Roma / AC Milan Serie A ×2
- AC Milan Champions League ×1
- São Paulo / AC Milan Intercontinental Cup / Club World Cup ×3
Brazilian club totals span national, state and other documented senior competitions, so they should not be compared directly with the Serie A and La Liga-only rows used on some European profiles.
Stats sources: WorldFootball — Cafu record .
Career path
Cafu developed at São Paulo, crossed briefly to Zaragoza and returned to Brazil before establishing himself in Serie A with Roma and Milan. League titles with both Italian clubs showed that his attacking volume did not prevent him fitting disciplined defensive teams.
Playing style
His great skill was repetition. Cafu could overlap, combine, deliver, recover and make the same run again without the team losing its shape around him.
International record
Brazil selected Cafu for 142 official senior matches. He appeared in three consecutive World Cup finals, won in 1994 and captained the 2002 champions.
All-time ranking case
The modern two-way right-back template owes a great deal to Cafu’s stamina, timing and willingness to own an entire flank. That is the basis for placing him at number 4 in our best football defenders of all time ranking.
Sources