Cafu vs Gary Lineker: Stats Compared
Right-Back, Brazil (born 1970, retired 2008) · Striker, England (born 1960, retired 1994)
Cafu and Gary Lineker represent two answers to the same question: how do you define a great? Long after the final whistle, what lingers is influence, and each man reshaped his corner of the game. Cafu finishes with 53 career goals from 856 games — a 0.06 strike rate — against Gary Lineker's 330 from 567 at 0.58 per match. Because assists were not systematically tracked for much of their time, that side of the comparison rests on the footage that survives. The honours ledger favours Cafu with 9 major trophies (2× FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002)) against Gary Lineker's 9 (1× Copa del Rey (1988)). History will file Cafu under elegant greatness and Gary Lineker under mercurial greatness — different shelves, same temple. The wider career context matters too: Cafu peaked around 2002 after representing São Paulo, Roma, Milan, while Gary Lineker's defining level came around 1986 across Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
166 words · comparison angle: legacy
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.”
Gary Winston Lineker (born 30 November 1960) is an English sports broadcaster, businessman, and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of England's greatest players, Lineker is the only player to have been the top goalscorer in England with three clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played for Barcelona in Spain, and won 80 caps for England.
“A model penalty-box striker whose timing and finishing were almost never wasted.”
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× Copa del Rey (1988)
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
- 1978 Established himself at Leicester City
- 1982 Reached his defining peak
- 1986 Delivered a landmark season
- 1994 Retired from professional football
The verdict
Weighing production against honours, Cafu takes the verdict — a clear margin, driven by remarkable longevity.
Cafu edges it (a clear margin)
