Cláudio Taffarel

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Olympic medal record
Competitor for  Brazil
Men's Football
Silver	1988 Seoul	Team Competition

Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel (born May 8, 1966 in Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul) is a former football goalkeeper, who played for Brazil in their victory at the 1994 World Cup.

He allowed only one goal in the first round and two in the knock-out phases (excluding two penalty kicks in the final). In addition to USA 1994, Taffarel helped lead Brazil to second place in the 1998 World Cup in France. In the semifinals against Netherlands, he was the central role in the 4-2 penalty kick victory, blocking the last two attempts. Upon his retirement in 2003, Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira offered to arrange a farewell match. Taffarel 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 in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

On the club level, Taffarel played for Internacional (1984-90), Parma (1990-93 and 2001-02), Reggiana (1993-94), Atlético Mineiro (1994-97), and Galatasaray (1998-2001). For the Brazilian national team, Taffarel is the second-most capped goalkeeper in their history, with 101 appearances. Other than the 1994 triumph, he also played in the 1990 and 1998 World Cup tournaments.

While playing, he was noted for his safe handling, excellent distribution and his phenomenal capacity for reading the game^{[citation needed]}. In March 2004, he was one of nine goalkeepers (the only Brazilian goalkeeper) to be named in Pelé's top 125 greatest living footballers.

He had a key role in Galatasaray's UEFA Cup triumph over Arsenal F.C. in 2000, and was named the man of the match in the final. He also helped Galatasaray defeat Real Madrid 2-1 to win the UEFA Super Cup in 2000 and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2001, performing at the top of his game in victories against clubs such as A.C. Milan and Real Madrid.

In private life, he has adopted many children. He also played club soccer with his church after the 1994 World Cup, being a top scorer as a forward for the time. He was a great forward, but he and his family knew deep inside he was meant to play goalkeeper.

	Brazil squad - 1990 World Cup
1 Taffarel | 2 Jorginho | 3 Ricardo Gomes | 4 Dunga | 5 Alemão | 6 Branco | 7 Bismarck | 8 Valdo | 9 Careca | 10 Silas | 11 Romário | 12 Acácio | 13 Mozer | 14 Aldair | 15 Müller | 16 Bebeto | 17 Renato Gaúcho | 18 Mazinho | 19 Ricardo Rocha | 20 Tita | 21 Mauro Galvão | 22 Zé Carlos | Coach: Lazaroni

	Brazil squad - 1994 World Cup Champions (4th Title)
1 Taffarel | 2 Jorginho | 3 Ricardo Rocha | 4 Ronaldão | 5 Mauro Silva | 6 Branco | 7 Bebeto | 8 Dunga | 9 Zinho | 10 Raí | 11 Romário | 12 Zetti | 13 Aldair | 14 Cafu | 15 Márcio Santos | 16 Leonardo | 17 Mazinho | 18 Paulo Sérgio | 19 Müller | 20 Ronaldo | 21 Viola | 22 Gilmar | Coach: Parreira

	Brazil squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup Runners-up
1 Taffarel | 2 Cafu | 3 Aldair | 4 Júnior Baiano | 5 César Sampaio | 6 Roberto Carlos | 7 Giovanni | 8 Dunga | 9 Ronaldo | 10 Rivaldo | 11 Emerson | 12 Carlos Germano | 13 Zé Carlos | 14 Gonçalves | 15 André Cruz | 16 Zé Roberto | 17 Doriva | 18 Leonardo | 19 Denílson | 20 Bebeto | 21 Edmundo | 22 Dida | Coach: Zagallo