Cláudio Taffarel facts for kids
Taffarel with Brazil in 2018
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 8 May 1966 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santa Rosa, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Internacional | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2019 | Galatasaray (goalkeeping coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Galatasaray (interim) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2023 | Brazil (goalkeeping coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Galatasaray (interim) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Liverpool (goalkeeping coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Brazil (goalkeeping coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel is a famous Brazilian former football player. He was a goalkeeper. He was born on May 8, 1966. Today, he works as a goalkeeping coach for both the Liverpool club and the Brazil national team.
Taffarel started his professional career in 1985 with Internacional in Brazil. He also played for teams like Parma, Reggiana, Atlético Mineiro, and Galatasaray. He stopped playing in 2003 after a second time with Parma.
He played over 100 games for Brazil's national team. Taffarel was a key player when Brazil won the World Cup in 1994. He also played in eight other big international tournaments. He won two Copa América titles in 1989 and 1997. He also helped Brazil reach the World Cup final in 1998. In 1988, he won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics.
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His Amazing Club Career
Cláudio Taffarel was born in Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He has family roots from Italy. He started his career at Internacional. He played 14 games in the top Brazilian league over five years. In 1988, he won the "Golden Ball" award for his great performance.
In 1990, Taffarel moved to Italy to play for Parma. This club had just joined Italy's top league, Serie A, for the first time. Taffarel was the first non-Italian goalkeeper to play in Serie A. He played in all 34 league games in his first season. Parma finished sixth and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
He helped Parma win the Coppa Italia in 1992. They also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1993. Later, he became a backup player at Parma. This was partly because rules only allowed three non-Italian players to start.
In 1993, Taffarel joined Reggiana, another Serie A team. He was their main goalkeeper and helped them avoid being moved down to a lower league. After that, he returned to Brazil in 1995. He played for three years with Atlético Mineiro.
On June 24, 1998, Taffarel signed a two-year deal with Galatasaray in Turkey. He won six big trophies with Galatasaray in three years. These included two league titles and the UEFA Cup in 2000. In the UEFA Cup final, he was named the best player of the match.
He finished his playing career back at Parma in 2001. He was mostly a backup goalkeeper. But he played in both final games of the 2002 Coppa Italia, which Parma won. He retired in 2003 at age 37.
Playing for Brazil: International Success
Taffarel first played for Brazil on July 7, 1988. He helped Brazil win the Australia Bicentenary Gold Cup. He was also the goalkeeper when Brazil won the Copa América in 1989. He played in five Copa América tournaments in total. He won it again in 1997.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, he won a silver medal. He saved three penalties in the semi-finals against West Germany. He was also part of the Brazilian team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Brazil was knocked out in the second round.
Taffarel was Brazil's main goalkeeper at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. He let in only one goal in the first round. In the final, Brazil won against Italy in a penalty shootout.
Four years later, in France, he helped Brazil reach the World Cup final again. This was his last international game. Brazil lost 3-0 to the host team, France. Before the final, Taffarel saved two penalties in the semi-final shootout against the Netherlands.
In total, Taffarel played 101 games for Brazil. This makes him Brazil's most capped goalkeeper ever. He is one of the few Brazilian players to have played 100 or more games for the national team.
How Taffarel Played
Taffarel is seen as one of Brazil's best goalkeepers. He was known for being calm and effective. He had great reflexes and was good at stopping penalties. He was also quick to come out of his goal when needed.
He developed strong leg muscles from playing beach volleyball when he was young. This helped him jump high and stop penalties. He was also good with the ball at his feet. This was because he played as a forward when he was younger.
Sometimes, people had different opinions about his play. He was praised for his great saves and for helping Brazil win. Brazilian fans even called him "Saint Taffarel." However, some thought he could improve his handling of high balls.
Life After Football
After retiring, Taffarel started a player agency with a former teammate. They focused on finding promising young players.
In 2004, Taffarel returned to Galatasaray as a goalkeeping coach. He worked there again from 2011 to 2019. He also had two short times as an interim manager.
He now works as a goalkeeper coach for both Liverpool (since 2021) and the Brazil national team (since 2014). He briefly left the Brazil role after the 2022 FIFA World Cup but returned in 2024.
Personal Life
Cláudio Taffarel was born in Santa Rosa, Brazil. His family has German and Italian roots.
Taffarel is a Christian. He has openly shared his faith. He has 17 children, and 15 of them are adopted.
Awards and Trophies
Here are some of the major awards and trophies Cláudio Taffarel won:
Parma
- Coppa Italia: 1991–92, 2001–02
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1992–93
Atlético Mineiro
- Campeonato Mineiro: 1995
- Copa CONMEBOL: 1997
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 1998–99, 1999–2000
- Turkish Cup: 1998–99, 1999–2000
- UEFA Cup: 1999–2000
- UEFA Super Cup: 2000
Brazil
- FIFA World Cup: 1994 (Winner); 1998 (Runner-up)
- Copa América: 1989, 1997 (Winner); 1991, 1995 (Runner-up)
- Summer Olympic Games Silver Medal: 1988
- FIFA World Youth Championship: 1985
Individual Awards
- Toulon Tournament Best Goalkeeper: 1987
- Bola de Prata: 1987, 1988
- Bola de Ouro: 1988
- FIFA XI: 1998
- Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
- Man of the Match: 2000 UEFA Cup final
