Cafu vs Edgar Davids: Stats Compared
Right-Back, Brazil (born 1970, retired 2008) · Defensive Midfielder, Netherlands (born 1973, retired 2011)
Put Cafu and Edgar Davids side by side and you have a genuine generational conversation. Goals are the coldest, hardest metric in football, and both players stockedpile them. The raw numbers read 53 goals in 856 outings for Cafu (0.06/game), versus 45 in 600 for Edgar Davids (0.08/game). Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Cafu is credited with 0 and Edgar Davids with 40. The honours ledger favours Cafu with 9 major trophies (2× FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002)) against Edgar Davids's 4 (1× UEFA Champions League (1995)). Their finishing mirrored their personalities: Cafu anticipatory, Edgar Davids silky. Their routes to the top were distinct: Cafu built his reputation across São Paulo, Roma, Milan, peaking around 2002, while Edgar Davids reached his defining level around 2000 after spells with Ajax, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Internazionale, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax, Crystal Palace. Rank them how you like — both names are carved into the sport's permanent record.
170 words · comparison angle: goalscoring
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.”
Nicknamed 'The Pitbull' for his relentless tackling, Davids wore his trademark wraparound goggles and was one of the most feared ball-winners in Europe during Juventus's late-1990s dominance.
“An aggressive, tireless ball-winner whose combativeness and surprising technical quality made him a complete midfield destroyer.”
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× UEFA Champions League (1995)
- 3× Serie A (1998, 2002, 2003)
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
- 1991 Professional debut for Ajax
- 1995 Won UEFA Champions League with Ajax
- 1998 Won Serie A with Juventus
- 2000 Reached the peak of his powers at Juventus
- 2011 Retired after a final spell at Crystal Palace
- Finished his career with 45 goals in 600 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 45 goals in 600 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Cafu wins out by a decisive margin on the weight of a weightier trophy cabinet.
Cafu edges it (a decisive margin)
