Cafu

Cafu grew up in Jardim Irene, a favela in São Paulo, and his route to the top was anything but smooth. As a youngster he was turned away by Palmeiras, Santos, Corinthians, Portuguesa and Atlético Mineiro before São Paulo finally took him in 1988. Even the name was borrowed, from the Brazilian winger Cafuringa. Years later, lifting the World Cup, he had "100% Jardim Irene" written on his shirt. The turning point came from Telê Santana at São Paulo. Cafu was a right midfielder, and Santana suggested he drop back to wing-back, a role he had never played. He settled into it with ease, and São Paulo won the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup in both 1992 and 1993. He defended the right flank, but coaches also used him in more advanced roles, often as a right winger. His game started with speed. In Italy they called him Pendolino, after the country's express trains. He would make overlapping runs down the right again and again, and his stamina was as famous as his speed. In the final third his job was to find teammates in the box, and his crosses were known for their accuracy. He was an attacking full-back before that was normal, and he is credited with influencing later right-backs such as Achraf Hakimi, Dani Alves and Trent Alexander-Arnold. He was more than a runner, too: his defensive skills were sound enough that he could also play centre-back. After an injury-hit spell at Real Zaragoza and a brief return to Brazil, he moved to Roma in 1997. He set up a goal on his Roma debut, became a regular under Zdeněk Zeman, and helped win the 2000–01 Scudetto under Fabio Capello. At AC Milan he took another league title in 2004 and, after losing the 2005 final, finally won the Champions League in 2007. Goals were a rare extra, though he signed off his career with one against Udinese. He is Brazil's most-capped men's player with 142 appearances and the only player to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals. In 1994 he came off the bench in the final against Italy after Jorginho was injured. He was known for his discipline, yet a red card in a qualifier against Paraguay cost him the captaincy under Vanderlei Luxemburgo. The armband came back to him only after Emerson was injured in training, and he raised the trophy after beating Germany in the 2002 final. Age did catch up. Injuries cut down his appearances at Milan for a season, and at the 2006 World Cup, aged 36, he was one of the veterans whose selection was criticised as Brazil went out to France in the quarter-finals. Even then he was one of the handful of Brazil players who spoke to the media, which fits the leader and cheerful presence people remember.