The Brazilian champions of the 1994 World Cup: where are they now?

In the 1990s, they became heroes of a nation. With Brazil going through delicate moments in the social and economic sphere, football was the encouragement and joy of the people.

The year was 1994 and Brazil gave itself completely to the ballet performed by the players of the national team. At the tournament, held in the United States, they became world champions for the fourth time in history.

The Brazilian eleven, which had been listless due to their poor qualifying performance, had to rally and, in every match, show determination and grit.

The golden team consisted of Taffarel, Jorginho, Ricardo Rocha, Ronaldão, Mauro Silva, Branco, Bebeto, Dunga, Zinho, Raí, Romário, Zetti, Aldair, Cafu, Márcio Santos, Leonardo, Mazinho, Paulo Sérgio, Muller, Ronaldo , Viola and Gilmar.

What have the idols of 1994 been doing since then? See their photos and read their stories here.

Goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel has continued to inspire others to develop their talents between the posts. Currently, the athlete is part of the Liverpool team where he is a goalkeeping coach.

Despite not being a starter in the 1994 championship, Ronaldo was a promising young player. Four years later, at the 1998 championship, he became known as 'the Phenomenon' for his genius.

After his performance at Cruzeiro, Ronaldo won over the world and was part of teams such as PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Internazionale, Real Madrid, and Milan. In the end, he returned to Corinthians in Sao Paulo.

Currently, Ronaldo is the president of Real Valladolid in Spain and co-owner of Cruzeiro in Brazil.

Cafu was named in a list made by Pele as one of the 125 greatest living football players.

With 149 matches, Cafu is the record holder of games for the Brazilian men's soccer team. He was part of the winning teams in the 1994 and 2002 World Cups, in addition to participating in the 1998 and 2006 championships.

In 2022, Cafu joined the management of the CALONE Group. He's also acting as an ambassador for the world cup in Qatar.

In 1994, Dunga was captain of the team that took the coveted cup to Brazil. After that, he went through clubs such as Stuttgart, Júbilo Iwata (in Japan), and Internazionale.

In 2006, Dunga became a coach for the Brazilian Canaries and won championships such as the 2007 Copa América and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009. In 2014, he returned to the national team and stayed there until June 2016.

Despite not being able to lead any club for more than five years, Dunga remains, undeniably, one of the greats in the history of Brazilian football.

The number 10 and midfielder Raï was the one who drew sighs from the ladies. At the time, he was playing for Paris Saint-Germain.

By the end of the 90s, he became one of the creators of the Gol de Letra Foundation to help children from vulnerable communities. The institution aims to serve these children and young people by offering sports, leisure, culture, income generation, and professional training activities.

Bebeto's performance as a forward was unforgettable in 1994. The player is also known for playing with clubs like Flamengo, Sevilla, Botafogo, and Al-Ittihad (in Saudi Arabia).

Bebeto completely changed his area of work and is now a federal deputy for the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Another player from the 1994 team dedicated to politics is Romario de Souza Faria. As a striker, he was part of the golden age of football. Before the tournament, he played for PSV Eindhoven and after the world championship, he went to Barcelona.

Romario began his political career in 2011 as a federal deputy. He expanded his work and reached the Senate in 2015, where he remains to this day and is extremely active.

Left-back Branco surprised the audience in 1994 with his determination and commitment. The player was an icon for the Brazilian Fluminense club. Nowadays, he's the coordinator of the Brazilian Football Confederation's youth teams.

Ricardo Rocha, from Pernambuco, was elected the best player in the 1989 Brazilian championship. And that was just the beginning - five years later he would win the World Cup in the US. Currently, Rocha is a football commentator on TV.

Right-back Jorginho ended his career as an athlete in 2002 and then went from club to club as a coach. During his career, he passed through Fluminense, Flamengo, and Bayern Munich, and currently, he is coaching Atlético Goianiense.

Mauro Silva was a defensive midfielder in the national team and played for clubs such as Guarani and Bragantino. At Deportivo La Coruña, in Spain, he was an idol along with two other Brazilians: Bebeto and Donato.

Currently, the hero of 1994 is vice president of the São Paulo Football Federation.