Double World Cup winner Cafu has revealed how close Chelsea came to signing him in his prime.
Cafu, 54, lifted the World Cup for the first time with Brazil in 1994 before captaining his country to glory once more eight years later.
The full back was playing his club football at Roma when Brazil won their fifth World Cup in Japan in 2002, but things could have been very different.
Cafu has lifted the lid on Chelsea’s attempts to sign him in 2001 after he had just won Serie A with Roma, but explained that club chairman Franco Sensi refused to accept the Blues’ offer.
‘Chelsea made an official approach, but Sensi told them, “Forget about it – nobody takes our boys from here and we are going to keep this team for a long time”,’ Cafu told FourFourTwo.
Two-time World Cup winner Cafu has revealed Chelsea tried to sign him in 2001
Claudio Ranieri wanted to bring the Brazil legend to Stamford Bridge in his prime
Cafu was tempted but Roma refused to accept Chelsea’s offer, and he went on to never play in the Premier League
‘He used to say that we were all his children. It would have been a nice experience to play in the Premier League – in 2001 it was already one of the biggest leagues at the time – but we couldn’t reach a deal.’
Cafu would go on to stay at Roma for another two years before moving to fellow Italian club AC Milan.
He spent five years at Milan, winning Serie A and the Champions League before retiring in 2008 having never played in the Premier League.
Cafu came close to joining Claudio Ranieri’s Chelsea just two years before Roman Abramovich’s takeover, which led to the most successful period in the club’s history.
But the Brazilian legend has admitted he actually supports another Premier League club.
Cafu has admitted he is actually a Liverpool fan, and he took a picture with ex-Reds defender Jon Flanagan – who was once dubbed ‘the next Cafu’ – back in 2014
‘I still follow the Premier League and I love watching Kevin De Bruyne – he plays with such ease, it’s impressive,’ Cafu added.
‘I’m a Liverpool fan, though. I’ve visited the club a few times and I enjoy their history, their stadium atmosphere, their songs.
‘I even got the chance to meet Jon Flanagan, who was dubbed “the next Cafu”, and we took a picture together. I still remember that day.’