Cafu vs José Luis Chilavert: Stats Compared
Right-Back, Brazil (born 1970, retired 2008) · Goalkeeper, Paraguay (born 1965, retired 2004)
Line up Cafu next to José Luis Chilavert and the contrasts come quickly. Reputations harden into legacies, and few careers cast longer shadows than these two. Across his senior career Cafu notched 53 goals in 856 appearances (0.06 per game), while José Luis Chilavert recorded 67 in 737 (0.09 per game). Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. The honours ledger favours Cafu with 9 major trophies (2× FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002)) against José Luis Chilavert's 8 (1× Copa Libertadores (1994)). History will file Cafu under commanding greatness and José Luis Chilavert under sweeper-keen greatness — different shelves, same temple. The wider career context matters too: Cafu peaked around 2002 after representing São Paulo, Roma, Milan, while José Luis Chilavert's defining level came around 1994 across San Lorenzo, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, Strasbourg. The honest conclusion is that comparison enriches appreciation rather than crowns a single winner.
163 words · comparison angle: legacy
Player profiles
Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Widely regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time, he was known for his pace and energetic attacking runs along the right flank. He is the most-capped player for the Brazil national team with 142 appearances.
“A relentless full-back whose running power and crossing made the flank a second engine.”
José Luis Félix Chilavert González is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, Peñarol and the Paraguay national team. Chilavert won 12 club titles, including the 1994 Copa Libertadores and the 1994 Intercontinental Cup, while playing for Vélez Sarsfield, and is a three-time IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award winner. A fast and agile shot-stopper, known for his leadership, strong personality, and goalkeeping ability, he was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime; outside of his goalkeeping position, Chilavert was also known for his outfield skills and ability as a free kick specialist, and often took penalties.
“A commanding goalkeeper and set-piece specialist who made scoring from distance part of his job.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 2× FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002)
- 1× Copa Libertadores (1994)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1994 Established himself at São Paulo
- 1998 Reached his defining peak
- 2002 Delivered a landmark season
- 2008 Retired from professional football
- 1986 Established himself at San Lorenzo
- 1990 Reached his defining peak
- 1994 Delivered a landmark season
- 2004 Retired from professional football
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Cafu wins out by a decisive margin on the weight of a stronger all-round attribute profile.
Cafu edges it (a decisive margin)
