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 he’s the only player to have played in three consecutive World Cup finals, winning the title in 1994 and 2002. This is the same ever-smiling Cafu,the last Brazilian captain to have won the FIFA World Cup.
“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.
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. 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.
“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. “I hope it will be a great game and will benefit the Indian team, which will face a five-time world champion.” “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. In October, they will be travelling to India to play a friendly in Kolkata.
