Brazil's Greatest XI of All Time

The highest-rated Brazilian goalkeeper in the database. World Cup finalist in 2022, PFA Goalkeeper of the Year, and the reason Liverpool have won everything available to them. His distribution turned goalkeeping into a creative function.

Two World Cup medals (1994, 2002), four Copa América titles, and a Champions League. The original marauding right-back: relentless, technically sound, and a leader. Carlos Alberto (also 91) gives him the closest challenge, but Cafu's longevity at the elite level edges it.

The most decorated Brazilian defender of his generation. 140+ caps, PSG captain for over a decade, Champions League finalist. Brazil's consistent defensive anchor through the 2010s, even when the team around him wasn't.

PSG captain, 2022 World Cup finalist, one of the most composed ball-playing centre-backs of his era. Paired with Thiago Silva at PSG for years. This partnership translates directly.

That free kick against France in 1997. The physics were wrong, the ball bent the wrong way, and Barthez barely moved. But Roberto Carlos was not just a set-piece artist. He was the most complete attacking left-back in history, with defensive discipline that the highlights consistently undersell.

Often called the greatest player never to win the World Cup. The 1982 Brazil side he led is still considered one of the finest teams to exit in the group stages, a tragic footnote in football history. A complete midfielder two decades ahead of his time.

The engine of the 1970 World Cup winning side, rated 88 in the database. Gérson's left foot was the compass of that Brazil team. He set the tempo, hit the long passes, and scored a crucial goal in the final against Italy.

2005 Ballon d'Or. 2002 World Cup winner. The man who made Puyol and Carles Puyol look like Sunday league defenders at the Bernabéu. Peak Ronaldinho, from 2004 to 2006 at Barcelona, was the most joyful footballer who has ever lived. He didn't just beat defenders; he humiliated them while smiling.

The only player in history with a perfect World Cup record. He played in 1958 and 1962, and never lost a single match. Born with a curved spine and legs of different lengths, he became the most devastating dribbler football has ever produced. His 1962 World Cup performance, carrying Brazil almost single-handedly after Pelé was injured, remains one of the greatest individual tournament performances ever.

The 96 rating is the joint-highest in the entire database. Three World Cups. Approximately 1,000 career goals. The 1970 Brazil team built around him is still considered the greatest international side ever assembled. He scored in his first World Cup final at age 17 and was still good enough to win it at 29. The standard.

1999 Ballon d'Or, 2002 World Cup winner, one of the great left-footed players in football history. That bicycle kick against Turkey in the 2002 group stage is one of the most technically outrageous goals ever scored. A player who made the impossible look routine.