Cafu, the World Cup-winning captain of Brazil, says Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool is “one of the best right-backs in the world” and that the Englishman’s style of play is similar to his own.
Alexander-Arnold, 23, has enjoyed another outstanding season with the Reds, who are still in contention for four championships.
Liverpool have already won two domestic cups and are in contention for the Premier League and the Champions League titles.
Since breaking into Liverpool’s first squad in the 2016-17 season, the Liverpool academy product has appeared in over 200 games under Jurgen Klopp’s leadership.
The 2021-2022 season is another successful season Alexander-Arnold has recorded, assisting 19 times and scoring twice in all competitions. He has helped Liverpool to win the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season.
The following week will determine whether Liverpool can achieve what no other English club has done before: winning all four major trophies in the same season. They face Wolves on Sunday in the penultimate day of the Premier League, then Real Madrid in Paris the following Saturday.
“I have been following Alexander-Arnold and the campaign he has had at Liverpool,” Cafu, who spent the majority of his career in Serie A with Roma and AC Milan, told BBC Sport. “His development over the previous several years has been incredible, and he is now without a doubt one of the top right-backs in the world.
“He is youthful, strong, and has grown tremendously for his age. He has a lot of experience as well, and I see a lot of similarities between us.
“We both had the desire and commitment to attack, to go ahead, and to shoot and put crosses in.” His diagonal movements on the pitch are comparable to what I used to do as a player.”
England has a solid chance of winning World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will commence in Qatar in the next six months. England will face Iran on the opening day of the tournament at the Khalifa International stadium.
Since taking charge in 2016, Gareth Southgate has inspired a team that is presently rated fifth in the world, cruising through the World Cup qualification series with an undefeated record and reaching the European Championship final last summer, where they were defeated by Italy on penalties.
“I’ve been watching England’s national team evolve under Gareth Southgate, and it’s been fantastic,” Cafu said. “Along with Portugal, I believe England has progressed the most on the field in recent years.”
“They have a very good squad with individual players that excel for their clubs. This is beneficial to the national team, and the progress they have made with their players indicates that they have a decent chance of competing well.
“The England players will have a better chance of winning if they listen to their coach as a squad.”
Cafu wishes that Brazil wins the World Cup
Five-time winner and world number one Brazil enters the tournament as favorites, with a talented roster that includes Liverpool’s Alisson and Fabinho, as well as Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos and Neymar.
Former Selecao full-back Cafu, who has 142 caps for his country, is the only player to have been in three consecutive finals, winning in 1994, losing in 1998, and captaining the side to victory in 2002.
They haven’t won the trophy since then, with European teams winning the last four editions of the tournaments.
“Every competition that Brazil enters, there is the pressure to win it,” Cafu, who is an ambassador for this year’s World Cup, stated. They are a massive country with a long and illustrious history.
“There is always pressure to win in any game, not only the World Cup.” Expectations are high because we have a strong generation of Brazilian footballers coming through.
“It’s past time for us to win; it’s evident that if we don’t win the World Cup, we’ll be a failure.” We all have high dreams and expectations for ourselves. The most essential thing is to have a good World Cup and be competitive; after that, no one can predict the final result.”
England and Brazil are in opposite wings of the draw, and if both teams finish first in their groups and advance to the knockout stages, they could face in the final on December 18 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, which seats 80,000 people.
Cafu was born on June 7, 1970, the same day the two teams met in the World Cup group stage.
“Because of the historical significance of the two nations in football, it would be a dream final for the Brazilian people,” Cafu said.
“This encounter would be full of emotion and lovely not only for England fans but also for football lovers in general.”