Cafu is the only player to appear in three consecutive World Cup Finals, in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Brazil won two of them, and by the end he was the captain.
He earned 142 caps for Brazil, which makes him one of the most capped players the country has produced. Over all those matches the job barely changed: run up and down the right flank for 90 minutes, attack like a winger and get back in time to defend.
Rome and Milan
His club career in Italy followed the same pattern. His overlapping runs and crosses from the right were a key weapon for Roma and then for AC Milan, where he won the Champions League in the 2000s.
What stood out was the stamina. Cafu seemed able to keep sprinting long after everyone around him had started walking, and he did it with a smile, which must have been annoying for opponents.
Three World Cup Finals, two wins, 142 caps and a Champions League. Many regard him as the best right-back in football history, and it is not a hard case to make. He opens our top ten at number 10.
Tomorrow: number 9.
