Cafu explains what makes Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele so iconic as Brazil legend throws fourth name into GOAT debate

In the eyes of Cafu, the debate over the greatest of all time should not be limited to a mere trio, as he insists on adding a fellow Brazilian superstar to the ranks of Pele, Maradona, and Messi. For the former AC Milan and Roma full-back, these players represent the "art" of the sport, moving beyond mere statistics to provide pure entertainment.

Speaking to El Mundo in an interview, Cafu was emphatic about his selection. "These are players who made history, who left their mark, who were world champions. And players who played with incredible ease. They played with the ball; they didn't strain to dribble, they didn't strain to shoot, they didn't strain to score. It was so beautiful to watch them play," he explained.

"I love the art of football. And Maradona is the art of football. Messi is the art of football. Pele is the art of football. Ronaldinho is the art of football. So, when I see those players who do something different, who make our eyes light up, I really enjoy it."

Pushed on whether Ronaldinho truly belongs in the same bracket as Messi, Maradona and Pele, Cafu was steadfast: "There are four of them (GOAT). I put these four on the same level. The four best in history. Two Brazilians, two Argentines. From the era I watched football, these four players truly made and continue to make the difference in the game."

While technical ability is a given for such high-profile names, Cafu believes their longevity and impact come down to a specific psychological makeup. He noted that despite the physical attention they received from defenders, the quartet maintained a specific composure on the pitch that defined their era of dominance.

"It's the personality," Cafu said. "Not just football, but the personality, their way of playing, the way they take to the pitch. We've never seen Messi, Ronaldinho, Pele, Maradona fight with anyone on the pitch. We see them play football. They take a beating, they get back up, they laugh. They go all out. How do they humiliate the opponent? By dribbling past them and scoring goals. That's what we love to see."

Beyond the individual greatness of the past, Cafu also discussed the current state of the Brazilian national team under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti. The legendary defender, who played under the Italian for five years at Milan, believes the manager is currently the biggest star in the setup - a shift from traditional Brazilian football culture.

"Ancelotti has what it takes to fix the dynamics and style of play of the Brazilian national team," Cafu stated. "The only problem for Ancelotti in Brazil is time, he didn't have enough time to get the players to understand what he wants on the field. Ancelotti is all about training, it's about day-to-day work. It's about the repetition of training so that the players can assimilate what he wants tactically on the pitch.

"For the first time in history we've had a coach who has been talked about much more than the players. You can see the enormous importance that Ancelotti has for Brazil today.

"I think he'll do very well with the Brazilian national team because he has the ability and the competence."

While celebrating the greats, Cafu offered a blunt assessment of Neymar’s standing in the game. Despite recognising the Santos forward as a "genius," he questioned whether the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain man has fully grasped the weight of winning the biggest prize in the sport compared to the icons mentioned previously.

"Neymar is a genius, a talent, a golden boy who could make even more of his talent, because he has the quality and the ability, he just has to want it," Cafu remarked. "If he wants to give up many things, if he wants to train, if he wants to dedicate himself... If he had an idea, the notion of what it means to be a world champion, it would be different story.

"It's different from being a Libertadores champion, being a Champions League winner. It's being a world champion. It's patting yourself on the chest and saying: 'I am the world champion.'

"When you're a world champion, you don't represent your club, you represent your country. You represent a nation. So I think that's what he hasn't quite grasped yet. How important it is to be a champion. Few will have the privilege of saying: 'I am a world champion.' Very few."