Cafu vs Davor Šuker: Stats Compared
Right-Back, Brazil (born 1970, retired 2008) · Striker, Croatia (born 1968, retired 2003)
Comparing Cafu with Davor Šuker means weighing two very different kinds of greatness. Honours are what separate great players from trophy-laden legends, and both qualify. Across his senior career Cafu notched 53 goals in 856 appearances (0.06 per game), while Davor Šuker recorded 273 in 526 (0.52 per game). Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. In major honours Cafu collected 9 — headlined by 2× FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002) — whereas Davor Šuker amassed 8, led by 1× UEFA Champions League (1998). Cafu built his medal haul through years of commanding consistency, while Davor Šuker won his with mercurial bursts of brilliance. Club journeys add another layer, with Cafu reaching his representative peak around 2002 across São Paulo, Roma, Milan and Davor Šuker doing so around 1998 with Osijek, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal, West Ham. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
165 words · comparison angle: trophies
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.”
Davor Šuker is a Croatian football administrator and former professional player who played as a striker. He served as the president of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) from 2012 to 2021. Šuker is generally regarded as the greatest Croatian striker of all time with a record 45 goals in 68 matches.
“A left-footed finisher with delicate touch, clever movement and a taste for spectacular goals.”
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 (1998)
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
- 1990 Established himself at Osijek
- 1994 Reached his defining peak
- 1998 Delivered a landmark season
- 2003 Retired from professional football
The verdict
On balance Cafu edges the comparison. The margin is a clear margin, decided mostly by remarkable longevity.
Cafu edges it (a clear margin)
