00:04Winning two World Cups in a row is so tough that only two nations have ever done it,
00:10and none for many decades.
00:14But in that time, there have been three instances where a country has won two out of three,
00:20and as the saying goes, that ain't bad.
00:24Brazil did it in 1962 and 1970, having missed out in 66.
00:31Argentina did it in 1978 and 1986.
00:35And then Brazil did it again, winning in 1994,
00:39missing in 98 before winning again in 2002.
00:44On each occasion, the eight-year gap has meant the two winning teams have borne little similarity.
00:51The only member of Brazil's 1962 squad to still be around for the 1970 tournament was Pelé,
00:58but he didn't play in the 62 final because of injury.
01:03The only Argentinian to play in both the 1978 and 1986 tournaments was Daniel Passarella,
01:11but he didn't play in the 1986 final.
01:15And only two players, Ronaldo and Cafu, were in both of Brazil's 1994 and 2002 squads.
01:23Although Ronaldo didn't play a single game in the USA.
01:28That leaves Cafu the only person to have played in winning World Cup finals eight years apart.
01:35And he's also the only person to have ever played in three World Cup finals in a row,
01:40part of Brazil's losing 1998 World Cup final team.
01:45More than that, he's Brazil's most capped player and was captain in 2002, the first to hold up the trophy.
01:57I felt at the time we took this photo, it was such an incredible happiness I felt at the time
02:02we raised that cup.
02:04The whole world looking at you and saying, you are good, you are winners, you were the champions.
02:10That moment crowned all the hard work done here in this room during all this time.
02:15Everyone has dreams while young.
02:18And when you raise the World Cup trophy, you see your dreams came true.
02:25That moment represents a dream coming true, the feeling of having the job done on behalf of your nation.
02:35Back in 1994, Cafu was used mainly as a substitute, but played most of the final against Italy,
02:41coming on at the 21-minute mark after Jorginho was injured.
02:47The 94 World Cup was played in the United States and was generally a high-scoring and attractive tournament.
02:55The irony being that for the first time ever, the final was nil-nil at the end of extra time,
03:01and the first to be decided on penalties.
03:05Brazil were unquestionably the best team in the tournament.
03:09Forwards Romário and Bebeto are often judged a step below Brazil's greatest match winners,
03:15like Pelé,
03:16like Pelé,
03:17Garincia,
03:19Ronaldo,
03:20and Neymar.
03:22But they performed admirably.
03:26The Selesau topped their group, with Romário scoring in all three matches,
03:30while Bebeto was the scorer in their win over USA in the round of 16.
03:36And they combined for three goals in the quarter-final,
03:40before Romário sent them into the final with an 80th-minute goal against Sweden in the semi.
03:48Italy, on the other hand, were fortunate to even make it out of the group stage,
03:52losing their first match to the Republic of Ireland,
03:55beating Norway with a single goal to Dino Baggio,
03:58and only drawing with Mexico.
04:02For the only time in World Cup history,
04:04the four teams in the group finished with the same points,
04:08Italy sneaking through as one of the best third-place teams.
04:14They only just made it through their round of 16 match against Nigeria, too,
04:19trailing until the 88th minute,
04:21when Roberto Baggio drew them level before his 102nd-minute penalty gave them the win.
04:28But they found their rhythm in the quarter and semi-finals with sound victories,
04:33thanks to a goal each from Dino and Roberto Baggio against Spain,
04:37and two to Roberto against Bulgaria.
04:43For Italy, the pain of losing the penalty shootout in the final
04:47was exacerbated by the fact that their captain, Franco Beresi, missed the first penalty,
04:52and their best shooter, Roberto Baggio, missed the last.
04:58But for Cafu and his Brazilian teammates, it was pure joy.
05:04You play for your country, your nation, while millions are watching.
05:09Millions of people are watching what you do in a World Cup.
05:12For those who have never been to a FIFA World Cup,
05:15those who are going for the first time,
05:18for those who have already been there and could not become champions,
05:21I can say that becoming a World Champion is the best thing on the planet.
05:25There is no greater thrill than to raise the trophy and say,
05:28I am a World Champion.
05:32In 1998, Brazil would make the final again.
05:35But the sensational mystery ailment which afflicted the world's best player Ronaldo
05:40would cost them the chance of beating France.
05:43But nothing could stop Ronaldo, Captain Cafu, and the rest of the Brazilians in 2002.
05:50By any measure, the 2002 Brazilian team was superior to the 1994 victors.
05:58The three R's, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho,
06:03all won the Ballon d'Or and formed one of the great attacking trios of all time.
06:10While one of the greatest left-backs in history, Roberto Carlos,
06:14created beautiful balance with the breakneck pace of Cafu on the right.
06:21Ronaldo was in no doubt the 2002 team was the best of the four World Cup squads he was in.
06:27But his respect for Pelé stopped him short of declaring it the best ever.
06:34I dare to say the team of 2002 was better than all the others Brazil sent to a World Cup.
06:41Except for the 1970 team, he said.
Comments