Mumbai: On a stage at a college atrium, Cafu soaked in the adulation. Students, brandishing any Brazilian jersey they could find – from the present selection with ‘Neymar Jr’ printed on the back to quite a few with ‘Ronaldo’ – cheered him on. Cafu beckoned a few to toss their shirts forward for him to sign and send back.
And then his eye caught a replica World Cup trophy. More silver than gold, it was handed over to him to pose with. And he relished it. Holding it up against his forehead, he treated it with the same respect he showed the original trophy he held up twice during his playing days.
This is the same ever-smiling Cafu,the last Brazilian captain to have won the FIFA World Cup. And he’s the only player to have played in three consecutive World Cup finals, winning the title in 1994 and 2002.
He belongs to an era (more 2002 than 1994) that fans, particularly of Brazil, still revere for their free-flowing, crowd-pleasing game. The wait for another world title has now extended, as the Brazilian team crashed out in the Round of 16 of the World Cup in July, marking their earliest exit at the competition since the 1990 edition.
“Brazil has been going through a difficult period when it comes to the national team, because now the wait will go on to 28 years without winning a World Cup,” he told the media at Pillai University in Navi Mumbai.
{{/usCountry}}“Brazil has been going through a difficult period when it comes to the national team, because now the wait will go on to 28 years without winning a World Cup,” he told the media at Pillai University in Navi Mumbai.
{{/usCountry}}“You cannot compare it to the era when we played. That era has passed. It is a new generation, they are new players, and we have to root hard so that this new era and these new players can achieve what we achieved: reaching a World Cup final.
“The World Cup is not an exact science. The best do not always win, and the champion is not always the best team. It is a sequence of factors that makes you win a World Cup. But I am very hopeful when talking about the Brazilian national team.”
The globalisation of the sport is perhaps one reason for the drop in Brazil’s performances on the global stage. Cafu explained that the team that reached the final in 1994 had most of players competing for clubs within the country, while the 2002 team, including Cafu himself (he played for Roma in Italy at the time) had moved to European clubs.
The 22-man team from 1994 had 11 players playing for Brazilian clubs, while 13 played at home from the 23 that won the title in 2002. The 2026 team of 26 players had only seven playing in Brazil – including Neymar.
“Today, young Brazilian players are leaving earlier for other countries, and because of that, perhaps they do not develop an identity with the Brazilian national team, an identity with the Brazilian people,” said the 56-year-old, who also won two Copa America titles with the national team.
“Perhaps that is what is missing most for our Brazilian national team: the Brasilidade (Brazilianness).”
Regardless of Brazil’s form on the international stage though, the team garners a huge following wherever the travel.
In October, they will be travelling to India to play a friendly in Kolkata. It is a match that will be played between the five-time world champions, ranked No.5 in the world, and a team currently on 138 in the FIFA rankings.
“There is a significant difference, but football has modernised,” Cafu said. “Today, everyone plays on equal terms. You saw it in the World Cup with Curacao and Cabo Verde.
“I hope it will be a great game and will benefit the Indian team, which will face a five-time world champion.”
These were hopeful words, from a man who was a part of two of those five titles.