Cláudio Taffarel

Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈklawdʒu tafaˈɾɛw]; born 8 May 1966) is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and is the goalkeeping coach of the Brazil national team and Galatasaray. During an 18-year career he played professionally for five different clubs in both Brazil and Europe. He began his senior career in 1985 with Brazilian side Internacional, whereas his latter clubs were Parma, Reggiana, Atlético Mineiro, and Galatasaray; he ended his career in 2003, after a second spell with Italian team Parma.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Mergen and the second or paternal family name is Taffarel.

Cláudio Taffarel

Taffarel with Brazil in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel
Date of birth	(1966-05-08) 8 May 1966
Place of birth	Santa Rosa, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1985–1990	Internacional	50	(0)
1990–1993	Parma	74	(0)
1993–1994	Reggiana	31	(0)
1995–1998	Atlético Mineiro	73	(0)
1998–2001	Galatasaray	89	(0)
2001–2003	Parma	6	(0)
Total		323	(0)
National team
1988–1998	Brazil	101	(0)
Teams managed
2014	Galatasaray (interim)
2015	Galatasaray (interim)
Honours Men's Football Representing  Brazil FIFA World Cup Winner 1994 USA Runner-up 1998 France Copa América Winner 1989 Brazil Winner 1997 Bolivia Runner-up 1991 Chile Runner-up 1995 Uruguay CONCACAF Gold Cup 1998 USA Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Team FIFA U–20 World Cup Winner 1985 USSR South American U-20 Championship Winner 1985 Paraguay
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

The recipient of more than 100 caps for Brazil, Taffarel helped the national team win the 1994 World Cup, also appearing in other eight major international tournaments over the course of one full decade, most notably helping Brazil to a second place in the 1998 World Cup, and two Copa América titles in 1989 and 1997; he also won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games.

Club career

Born in Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul, Taffarel began his career playing for Sport Club Internacional but only appeared in 14 Série A games during his five-year spell, being however awarded the Golden Ball award for the 1988 season. In 1990, he moved abroad and joined Parma A.C. in Italy, a club which had been freshly promoted to Serie A for the first time in its history; according to a 2003 article by Andrea Schianchi of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Taffarel's move to Parma was also carried out for commercial reasons, as at the time, Calisto Tanzi, the then–owner of Parmalat – the company that owned the club –, was looking to have the Brazilian goalkeeper become the face of the corporation's new advertising campaign following its recent expansion into Brazil. Taffarel became the first non–Italian goalkeeper to play in Serie A, and proceeded to appear in all 34 league games in the following campaign under manager Nevio Scala, as the Emilia-Romagna side finished in sixth position and qualified to the UEFA Cup. He won the Coppa Italia in 1992 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1993 during his first spell with the club, although following a series of unconvincing performances, and the regulations at the time that only allowed three non–Italian players in the team's starting XI (with Faustino Asprilla, Tomas Brolin, and Georges Grün usually being selected to start by Scala), he was relegated to the bench over the course of the next two seasons, initially behind Marco Ballotta and later Luca Bucci.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

In 1993, Taffarel, now only a back-up at Parma, signed for fellow Serie A team A.C. Reggiana 1919, where he was first-choice throughout the following season in a narrow escape from relegation. However, he was subsequently dropped from the first team in 1994, and remained without a professional club in the run up to and following that year's World Cup in the United States, playing instead at amateur level with his local church team, and even featuring as a centre-forward on occasion. Afterwards, he returned to his home country in 1995 and played three years with Clube Atlético Mineiro.[1][2][3][6][7][8]

Aged 32, Taffarel returned to Europe and joined Galatasaray S.K., winning six major trophies during his three-year stint, most notably two Süper Lig titles and the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup; in the final of the latter competition – a 4–1 penalty shootout victory over Arsenal following a 0–0 draw after 120 minutes – he was chosen as Man of the match.[9][10] He closed out his career with former club Parma, joining the team in 2001;[5] he mainly featured as a second-choice keeper behind Sébastien Frey during his second spell with the club,[11] but started in both legs of the 2002 Coppa Italia Final, which saw Parma triumph over the newly crowned Serie A champions, Juventus.[12] He retired in 2003, after one-and-a-half seasons with the club, at the age of 37, and after having refused an offer from Empoli FC: his car broke while he was going to sign the contract, which he later described as a "sign of God".[13][14][15]

International career

Taffarel made his debut for Brazil on 7 July 1988 in the Australia Bicentenary Gold Cup, playing all four games and conceding two goals as his team won the tournament. He was also in goal for the following year's Copa América, which Brazil also won (during his ten-year international career, he appeared in five editions of the latter tournament, winning the title for a second time in 1997, and collecting runners-up medals in 1991 and 1995). At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, he won a silver medal, saving three penalties against West Germany in the semi-finals of the tournament: one in regulation time, and two in Brazil's successful shoot-out.[1][6] He was also a member of the Brazilian team that took part at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, where Brazil were eliminated in the round of 16 following a 1–0 defeat to rivals and defending champions Argentina, with Taffarel conceding only two goals in total throughout the tournament.[16][17]

Taffarel was the starter for the nation during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, only allowing one goal in the first round and two in the knock-out phases, excluding two penalty kicks in the final shootout victory against Italy.[1][2][7] Four years later, in France, he helped his national team to a second consecutive World Cup final, which proved to be his final international appearance; on this occasion, however, Brazil lost out 3–0 to the hosts.[18] In the run-up to the final, Taffarel had notably saved two penalties in the team's 4–2 shootout victory over the Netherlands in the semi-finals.[1][19][20] He was also a member of the Brazilian side that finished in third place at the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In total, Taffarel played 101 times with the Seleção, making him Brazil's most capped goalkeeper of all time, and one of the few Brazilian players to have made at least 100 caps for the national side.[7][21][22] Upon his retirement in 2003, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira offered to arrange a farewell match but the player refused, stating that he was not interested in such fanfare; he did return to play alongside Romário in late 2004 against Mexico, to commemorate the 1994 World Cup victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Style of play

Regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers of all time,[23][24] Taffarel was known to be a rational, effective, and generally consistent keeper, with good fundamental goalkeeping technique, who favoured an efficient rather than spectacular playing style.[25][26][27] His main attributes were his explosive reflexes, positional sense, and calm composure in goal, as well as his penalty-stopping abilities; due to the muscle power in his legs that he developed while playing beach volleyball in his youth, he was known for his surprising spring and elevation from a standstill position, despite his modest stature, which gave him significant hang time and aided him in stopping penalties.[1][2][25][26][27] Furthermore, he was known to be quick when coming off his line, and was also highly regarded for his flair and skill with the ball at his feet, having played as a forward in his youth.[1][2][3][6][26][28] Due to his lack of height, however, as well as his poor handling and decision-making, he struggled at times when dealing with crosses, and was not particularly confident or decisive when coming off his line to catch high balls;[3][29] as such, critical reception of Taffarel was often divided throughout his career. While he drew praise from the Brazilian fans and media for his decisive performances with the Brazilian national team, which even earned him the nickname "Saint Taffarel" in the Brazilian media, he also drew criticism at times from Italian pundits over the mental aspect of his game, and his lack of development during his time in Serie A, which made him unreliable and prone to technical errors on occasion, despite his shot-stopping ability and generally high-quality gameplay, as well as his capacity to produce excellent saves. Moreover, his struggles to cope with his nerves are thought to have impeded him from succeeding consistently at the highest level with top European clubs throughout his career, despite his success and reputation. Ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final, Mike Penner of the Los Angeles Times speculated that Taffarel, and the goalkeeping position more broadly, was the "weak link" of an otherwise world class Brazilian national side, due to the lack of top goalkeepers in Brazilian football at the time; indeed, prior to the tournament, Reuters had dismissed Taffarel as: "One of around a dozen goalkeepers in Brazil of roughly the same standard."[1][2][7][6][30][31]

Post-retirement

Taffarel with Galatasaray in 2012

Taffarel and his former Atlético Mineiro teammate Paulo Roberto started up a player agency, with the focus mainly on promising youngsters.[32]

During the 1998 World Cup, when the Brazilian national team was training at Trois-Sapins stadium in Ozoir-la-Ferrière, a suburb southeast of Paris, the town's mayor proposed renaming the stadium after him.[33]

In 2004, Taffarel rejoined Galatasaray as goalkeeper coach – under former teammate Gheorghe Hagi – returning to the club for the 2011–12 season, again with Fatih Terim as manager.[34] He currently works as a goalkeeper coach for both Galatasaray[35] and the Brazilian national team.[34]

Personal life

Born in Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Taffarel is of German and Italian descent.[6]

Taffarel is a born-again Christian who has actively shared his faith in numerous venues. He was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes since 1988,[36] and has 17 children, 15 of them adopted.[14]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
		League			National Cup		Continental		Total
Internacional	1985	Série A	1	0	—		—		1	0
	1986		2	0	—		—		2	0
	1987		10	0	—		—		10	0
	1988		14	0	—		—		14	0
	1989		12	0	—		—		12	0
	1990		11	0	—		—		11	0
	Total		50	0	—		—		50	0
Parma	1990–91	Serie A	34	0	2	0	—		36	0
	1991–92		34	0	3	0	1	0	38	0
	1992–93		6	0	1	0	1	0	8	0
	Total		74	0	6	0	2	0	82	0
Reggiana	1993–94	Série A	31	0	2	0	—		33	0
	Total		31	0	2	0	—		33	0
Atlético Mineiro	1995	Serie A	22	0	—		—		22	0
	1996		27	0	—		—		27	0
	1997		24	0	—		—		24	0
	1998		—		—		—		24	0
	Total		73	0	—		—		73	0
Galatasaray	1998–99	1.Lig	32	0	8	0	8	0	48	0
	1999–00		30	0	3	0	16	0	49	0
	2000–01		27	0	3	0	14	0	44	0
	Total		89	0	14	0	38	0	141	0
Parma	2001–02	Serie A	6	0	8	0	—		14	0
	2002–03		0	0	2	0	—		2	0
	Total		6	0	10	0	—		16	0
Career total			323	0	32	0	40	0	395	0

International

Brazil[21]
Year	Apps	Goals
1988	7	0
1989	16	0
1990	7	0
1991	10	0
1992	2	0
1993	15	0
1994	9	0
1995	5	0
1996	0	0
1997	15	0
1998	15	0
Total	101	0

Honours

Club

Parma[37]

• Coppa Italia: 1991–92,[27] 2001–02[25]
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1992–93[27]

Atlético Mineiro

• Campeonato Mineiro: 1995[25]
• Copa CONMEBOL: 1997[25]

Galatasaray

• Süper Lig: 1998–99, 1999–2000[25]
• Turkish Cup: 1998–99,[38] 1999–2000[25]
• UEFA Cup: 1999–2000[25]
• UEFA Super Cup: 2000[25]

International

Brazil

• FIFA World Cup: 1994;[25] Runner-up 1998
• Copa América: 1989, 1997;[25] Runner-up 1991, 1995
• Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 1988
• FIFA World Youth Championship: 1985

Individual

• Bola de Ouro: 1988
• Bola de Prata: 1988
• IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: Bronze ball 1991,[39] 1994[40]
• FIFA XI: 1998[41]
• Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
• Man of the Match: 2000 UEFA Cup Final

See also

• List of footballers with 100 or more caps

References

1. Franco, Melli (9 July 1998). "Taffarel, la mano di Dio che para i rigori". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 43. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
2. "Taffarel docet, te lo do' io il portiere brasiliano" [Taffarel docet, I'll give you the Brazilian goalkeeper]. La Repubblica. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
3. "TAFFAREL, IN ALTO LE MANI" [Taffarel, Hands Up]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 17 July 1994. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
4. Schianchi, Andrea (29 December 2003). "Così prese Taffarel per vendere il latte" [And so he acquired Taffarel to sell milk]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 8 May 2020.
5. Schianchi, Andrea; Cecchini, Massimo; Curino, Luca; Agus, Giampietro; Ghisleni, Sergio; Stella, Silvano (6 July 2001). "Parma, non solo Nakata" [Parma, not only Nakata]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 9 May 2020.
6. Setyon, Ricardo (1 August 2000). "Claudio Taffarel: "One mistake and I get all the blame"". FIFA. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
7. Eve, James (2 November 2003). "Highway to heaven". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
8. Ferrara, Benedetto (4 July 1993). "Stoichkov è libero, un obiettivo Samp" [Stoichkov is free, a Samp target]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 8 May 2020.
9. Andre Claudio Taffarel (1966–); at Galatasaray S.K. (in Turkish)
10. "Penalty heartbreak for Arsenal". BBC Sport. 17 May 2000. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
11. "Riecco Taffarel, un tuffo nel passato Risuona la filastrocca della memoria" [Here comes Taffarel again, a dive into the past The memory's nursery rhyme resounds]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 7 July 2001. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
12. "La Juventus non fa il bis la Coppa Italia al Parma" [Juveneuts does not make it two the Coppa Italia goes to Parma]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 10 May 2002. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
13. "Taffarel dice no all' Empoli Colpa di un guasto all' auto" [Taffarel says no to Empoli due to car malfunction]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 25 September 2003. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
14. "Football: God gave Taff a sign: The big interview; `You need to hit the darkest point to be able to appreciate the". The Free Library. 1 October 2003. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
15. "World Cup winner Taffarel retires". CNN. 26 September 2003. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
16. Moore, Nick (4 June 2014). "Why World Cup 1990 was the tournament of the great goalkeeper". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
17. "WATCH: 1990 World Cup flashback replay - Brazil v Argentina". The World Game. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
18. "France Triumph". BBC Sport. 13 July 1998. Archived from the original on 10 November 1999. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
19. "Greatness without glory: the story of Holland at France 98". These Football Times. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
20. "Strepitoso Taffarel Il Brasile è in finale" [Exceptional Taffarel Brazil are in the final]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 7 July 1998. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
21. Claudio André Mergen Taffarel – Century of International Appearances; at RSSSF
22. Mamrud, Roberto (30 December 2019). "Brazil - Record International Players: Appearances for Brazil National Team". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
23. "Brazil's greatest goalkeepers". Sky Sports. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
24. Atkins, Christopher (10 January 2013). "Ranking Brazil's 10 Best Goalkeepers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
25. Pastorin, Darwin (2002). "TAFFAREL, Cláudio André". Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 28 November 2017.
26. Martini, Davide (9 December 2015). "I 10 migliori portieri brasiliani della storia" [The 10 greatest goalkeepers of all time] (in Italian). www.90min.com. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
27. Radogna, Fiorenzo (2 November 2016). "Portieri stranieri, ma perché? Quei campioni che in Italia hanno fallito dal '90 ad oggi – 2: Taffarel, il disoccupato che vinse un Mondiale (ai rigori)" [Foreign goalkeepers, but why? Those champions who failed in Italy from 1990 until today – 2: Taffarel, the unemployed who won a World Cup (on penalties)]. Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 28 November 2017.
28. Bernabei, Simone (8 May 2017). "Claudio Taffarel, dal Mondiale col Brasile alle esperienze con Parma e Reggiana" [Claudio Taffarel, from the World Cup with Brazil to his spells with Parma and Reggiana] (in Italian). www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
29. Hughes, Rob (13 July 1994). "Chance of a Lifetime Is in Their Hands". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
30. Penner, Mike (10 July 1998). "Keeping the Faith". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
31. Pratesi, Riccardo (30 April 2007). "Brasiliani, portieri d'Italia" [Brazilians, goalkeepers of Italy]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 8 May 2020.
32. "Fledgling careers in safe hands". FIFA. 16 July 2008. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
33. "Coach certain Brazil will rule". New York Daily News. 10 July 1998. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
34. "Taffarel leads Galatasaray to victory". Goal.com. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
35. "Claudio Taffarel – Futbol A Takım Kaleci Antrenörü – GALATASARAY.ORG". www.galatasaray.org. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
36. Clarey, Christopher (8 July 1998). "World Cup '98; Goalie has answers for Brazil fans". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
37. The Greatest Ever (2014). Greatest Ever Footballers. Headline. pp. 2058–2059. ISBN 978-1-4722-2705-8.
38. "Galatasaray 0–0 Beşiktaş" (in Turkish). Mackolik. 14 April 1999. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
39. IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1991; at RSSSF
40. IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1994; at RSSSF
41. FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine; at RSSSF

External links

• "CBF data" (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
• Cláudio Taffarel at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)
• Cláudio Taffarel at the Turkish Football Federation
• Cláudio Taffarel at National-Football-Teams.com
• Cláudio Taffarel – FIFA competition record