Quotes on: Roberto Carlos and Cafu

Quotes on: CAFU

“I played with him at AC Milan, and he’s the type of full-back we like in Holland, who likes to take the initiative to attack, but also comes back as quick as he can to defend. He’s a great person as well. He’s played for the national team, won trophies for the national team, and he’s been outstanding for years and years.”
– Jaap Stam

“People tend to forget that defensively he was very strong, but he stands out because of his attacking impulses and energy. Cafu just kept going – up and down, up and down – and never gave up.”
– Jaap Stam

An outstanding athlete. [ . . . ] Cafu is very attacking [ . . . ] (and) can get forward and overlap, but drop back in defence within seconds. He’s a great crosser and he can score a goal too.”
– Teddy Sheringham

“He is not only a defender, he is an all-round footballer, and he can do everything. I played against him in Italy when he was with Roma, and he never stopped running up and down the right side of the field. He has brilliant energy and stamina, and oh, what skill too.  And, of course, he has leadership skills: don’t forget he captained Brazil to the World Cup in 2002.”
– Laurent Blanc

“I played against Brazil a couple of times and he and Roberto Carlos were just awesome. They changed the way full-backs played. People thought a full-back should just defend, but in today’s game it’s important for full-backs to be good on the ball as well, and Cafu led the way in this respect.”
– Michael Owen

“What a nightmare to play against. The last thing you need is an overlapping full-back, creating two-versus-one situations against you. He’d bomb on for 90 minutes and wouldn’t give you ?a minute’s peace. [ . . . ] Although Cafu was a fantastic attacking threat, he was also a very capable defender. Never seemed to age.”
– Denis Irwin

“His energy was unbelievable, the way he would just run up and down the flank all match – and great credit to him for doing it for so long, winning everything in the game. What an athlete.”
– Shay Given

“A warrior on the field and a sincere, kind man off it. Strong and powerful, his runs from defence led to numerous goals at AC Milan and his jokes helped to ease the pressure during training and in matches.”
– Andriy Shevchenko

“If there is one man who has made sacrifices and lent himself to the cause of the Brazil team, this man is Cafu. He has been my commander on the field. He is a great example of dedication and humility.”
– Luiz Felipe Scolari (1998)

“Trend-setting in being one of the first truly great attacking full backs. Excellent at getting forward, but very strong defensively as well.”
– Andrea Pirlo

__________

Quotes on: ROBERTO CARLOS

“I played in a friendly in Japan against him when he was a young lad. I remember this kid running and down the left wing. It was unbelievable. Gordon Milne was coaching us and I said, “We’ve got to find out who that kid is – let’s try and buy him.” It turned out that his name was Roberto Carlos. They said, “He’s not for sale.””
– Gary Lineker

“Like Cafu, he made people rethink the role of a full-back in a team. Great on the ball, made good runs – but also great dead-ball delivery. Fantastic.”
– Michael Owen

“His left leg seems to be made of iron. He had a fantastic shot, but thankfully I have never stood in the wall when he took a free-kick as I was always covering another player. If one of Carlos’s shots hit you on the head it could quite easily cause physical damage!”
– Jaap Stam

“Roberto Carlos is amazing. He’s a brilliant defender, but his biggest strength is his ability to get from box to box all the time. He’s got so much energy. He’s so quick and strong that he’s always making you defend rather than the other way round. And he can be lethal from set pieces too.”
– Ryan Giggs

“When I first met him at Inter, I thought wow. Firstly, I couldn’t believe how big his legs were, you can see that in the way he plays and strikes a ball. He had great pace up and down the line, he could tackle, score and he was an incredible player.”
– Paul Ince

“Roberto Carlos can cover the entire [left] wing all on his own.”
– Vicente del Bosque

“He’s a fantastic player, with amazing skill, and does things at left-back that no other player in that position would contemplate.”
– Henrik Larsson

“Would be worth having in any team for his ability to take free kicks, but as well as being one of the best free kick takers ever, he is also one of the finest left backs ever. So important to all of Real Madrid’s Champions League wins.”
– Ronaldinho