Cafu vs David Luiz: Stats Compared
Right-Back, Brazil (born 1970, retired 2008) · Centre-Back, Brazil (born 1987, retired 2023)
Comparing Cafu with David Luiz means weighing two very different kinds of greatness. Beyond the numbers, each man brought a singular aesthetic to the pitch. Cafu finishes with 53 career goals from 856 games — a 0.06 strike rate — against David Luiz's 35 from 650 at 0.05 per match. 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 David Luiz with 25. Trophy counts give Cafu 9 and David Luiz 6, with 2× FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002) and 1× UEFA Champions League (2012) the standout honours respectively. Stylistically Cafu was resolute where David Luiz was anticipatory — two vocabularies of the same sport. Their routes to the top were distinct: Cafu built his reputation across São Paulo, Roma, Milan, peaking around 2002, while David Luiz reached his defining level around 2013 after spells with Vitória, Benfica, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Arsenal, Flamengo. Greatness, in cases like this, is rarely a zero-sum affair.
172 words · comparison angle: style
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.”
An eccentric, unpredictable Brazilian centre-back famed for his wild hairstyles and thunderous free-kicks, David Luiz won trophies across three major European leagues.
“An unorthodox, high-risk centre-back who combined bold attacking instincts and a huge shot with occasionally erratic positioning.”
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 (2012)
- 2× UEFA Europa League (2013, 2019)
- 2× Premier League (2015, 2017)
- 1× FA Cup (2018)
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
- 2006 Professional debut for Vitória
- 2012 Won UEFA Champions League with Chelsea
- 2018 Won FA Cup with Chelsea
- 2013 Reached the peak of his powers at Chelsea
- 2023 Retired after a final spell at Flamengo
- Finished his career with 35 goals in 650 appearances and 6 major honours. Finished his career with 35 goals in 650 appearances and 6 major honours.
The verdict
Taking goals, assists, silverware and overall profile together, Cafu takes it by a decisive margin.
Cafu edges it (a decisive margin)
