Over a period of 16 years, Cafu played a record 149 games for Brazil, including 20 World Cup matches. He is the only player from any country to appear in four consecutive World Cups. He played in three straight World Cup Finals winning in 1994 and 2002, when he was captain, and was runner-up in 1998.
He had a distinguished career in club football, playing for Sao Paulo, Real Zaragoza, Palmeiras, Roma and AC Milan, for whom he played in the 2007 Champions League success.
Born Marcos Evangelista de Morais, but universally known as Cafu, he now becomes the 53rd member of the Laureus Academy, a unique collection of the worlds greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen dedicated to changing the world through the power of sport.
He was inducted during a visit by Laureus World Sports Academy Member Hugo Porta to the Fundação Cafu motto Feeding Dreams - the institute founded by Cafu.
Cafu said: I have always admired the work that Laureus does to help young people around the world. Using sport to help improve the fairness in our society is something that I believe in profoundly. I am grateful to the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy for asking me to join them; it is an honour to be a Laureus Academy Member.
I am really happy on my first day as an Academy Member that I am able to show the important work that we are doing at Fundação Cafu where you can see so clearly the impact that sport can have. We have a responsibility to help those less fortunate than ourselves and through sport we can make a real difference.
The eyes of the sporting world will be on Rio next year when the Olympics are staged here and I want everyone who comes here to be aware of the wonderful social work that is going on in the city and the country. I look forward to doing what I can to help Laureus in the future, added Cafu.
Laureus World Sports Academy Member Hugo Porta said: This is a great day, being able to welcome Cafu to the Laureus Family. I thank him for his commitment and look forward to working with him closely in the future. Cafu is a giant of football and with his work with Fundação Cafu he has shown what sport can achieve off the pitch as well as on it.
The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy and Laureus Ambassadors volunteer their time to support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which uses the power of sport to improve young peoples lives. Since its inception, Laureus has raised 85 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people. Currently Laureus supports more than 150 projects in 35 countries.
The Fundação Cafu was established in 2004 by Cafu as a safe, inspirational environment to help the younger generation to achieve their dreams in the community of his upbringing, Jardim Irene, an impoverished area of Sao Paulo.
There 950 children from 3 to 17 and 300 adults are supported and encouraged to develop through pre- and post- school education, sports, and community activities such as choir, hairdressers school, graffiti, urban dances, basketball, football, capoeira, arts and crafts, as well as psychological counseling, health and awarness campaigns.
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