Cláudio Taffarel, the Brazilian team goalkeeper who won his fourth title in the 1994 World Cup, has strong connection with Italy. Starting from the surname, one of the oldest and noblest of Italian origin, to the titles won by the Parma team.
Known only as Taffarel, the former goalkeeper and current goalkeeping coach was born on May 8, 1966. Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel was born in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in a hospital in Tuparendi, which at the time belonged to the municipality of Santa Rosa, but spent his childhood in Crissiumal.
Son of a poor family descendants of Italians and Germans, Taffarel liked to play different sports in his childhood and adolescence, such as volleyball and handball. But it was in football that he found his destiny and became known as one of the biggest names in sport around the world.
Test with rival and start in the national team
He He even tried out at Grêmio, but was rejected, luckily for arch-rival Internacional, who approved the young goalkeeper in 1984. The following year, at the age of 19, Taffarel was already became a starter for Internacional, replacing the goalkeeper Ademir Maria.
It was also in 1985 that he had his first opportunity in base categories of the Brazilian team. With a lot of personality, Taffarel established himself in the position and was a starter for Brazil that same year, in the conquest of the Junior World Championship, played in Soviet Union.
Taffarel stands out at Internacional
However, as the life of a goalkeeper is not easy, in the same year he suffered the first blow of his career, with a fails in a classic against Grêmio. When trying to make a quick throw-in, he sent the ball directly into the net, scoring an own goal.
But the goalkeeper had credit for the good performances so far. Like this, remained a starter at Internacional and became the great idol of the Colorado fans in those difficult times, when Grêmio started a sequence of state titles, between 1985 and 1990.
Taffarel was the highlight of two Brazilian vice-championships following Internacional, in 1987 and 1988. At the time, he won the Silver Ball from Placar magazine and, in 1988, he won the Ballon d'Or, as best player in the Brazilian Championship.
Chance in the main team
The first big chance in the main Brazilian team was in 1988, in the Australian Bicentenary Tournament, in a game against the home team. In the same year, he ended up definitively establishing himself as a starter, competing in the football tournament of the Seoul Olympic Games.
In the semi-final, against West Germany, he saved a penalty in normal time, which ended in a 1-1 draw. In the penalty shootout, took another charge and saw another hit the post, guaranteeing the team's passage to the final, which ended in defeat for the Soviet Union and the silver medal for Brazil.
Already an absolute goalkeeper for the Brazilian team, Taffarel won the 1989 Copa América and was the starter in the 1990 World Cup. Even with Brazil's early elimination, the goalkeeper had good performances in that World Cup, escaping criticism for his disqualification against Argentina in the round of 16.
Taffarel's career in Italy
In 1990 he was hired by Parma and became the first Brazilian goalkeeper to play in Italy. In all, Taffarel competed five seasons for the Italian team, in two spells, between 1990 and 1993 and then between 2001 and 2003, towards the end of his career.
He won the Italian Cup with Parma in 1992 and the European Cup in 1993. In the 1993-1994 season, Taffarel was loaned by Parma to the Reggiana. The reinforcement was worth the team's stay in Series A. The big moment of the season was the defending a penalty in the last round of the Italian Championship, against Milan.
Taffarel was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the Italian Championship 1994 and ended up being called up to his second World Cup, which was played in the United States that same year.
Obstacles and redemption in the 94 World Cup
But the path to being called up was not easy, as it was contested, especially during the World Cup qualifiers in 1993, when failed to score the first goal in Bolivia's 2-0 victory, the team’s first defeat in a World Cup qualifier.
In the United States, redemption came, with the world title and good performances (only conceded 3 goals in the tournament). The final against Italy ended 0-0 in normal time and was decided on penalties. Taffarel defended the charge Daniele massaro before seeing Roberto Baggio sending the ball over the crossbar, and it was fundamental to the victory.
It was in the 94 World Cup that the goalkeeper was immortalized in the catchphrase created by narrator Galvão Bueno: “Know it’s yours, Taffarel!”. In an interview, the narrator declared that Taffarel was the greatest goalkeeper he saw play for the Seleção, but that he thought he was “very still under the crossbar when crossing”, hence the origin of the catchphrase.
New challenges from Taffarel
In 1995, Taffarel returned to Brazil, to play for Atlético Mineiro, where he was a member of the team. However, he experienced difficult times again. His actions were questioned and, after criticism from the president of the CBF, Ricardo Teixeira, for an alleged mistake in that year's Copa América final against Uruguay, the goalkeeper decided to leave the Brazilian team.
On October 12, 1995, Taffarel got into a fight with Atlético fans in training, and attacked one of them. In 1997, the technician Emerson Leão removed Taffarel from Atlético Mineiro due to technical deficiency. However, in the same year, he decided to return to the Brazilian team.
Third Taffarel Cup
Brazil was Copa América champion in 1997 with Taffarel in goal and, despite being challenged at his club, the goalkeeper arrived at his third World Cup, in 1998, as a starter.
Again, in the most important moments, Taffarel responded. In the semi-final, against the Netherlands, saved two penalties in the penalty shootout and was the highlight of the match that took Brazil to the final. The Brazilian team lost to France and Taffarel definitively retired from the Brazilian team, after 101 official games.
Career after the Selection
After his third and last World Cup, retired from the Brazilian team, Taffarel went to Galatasaray SK, from Türkiye. At the Turkish club he also became an idol.
In 2000, in the UEFA Cup final against Arsenal, of England, the goalkeeper was hero again in a penalty shootout. After a 0-0 draw in normal time, he saved two free kicks and Galatasaray ended up champion of the continental tournament. With Taffarel, Galatasaray also won two Turkish Championships and two Turkish Cups.
In 2001, Taffarel returned to Parma, where he stayed for another two years, winning the Italian Cup in the 2001-2002 season, until his retirement in 2003, at 37 years old. The goalkeeper started working as an athlete manager, but soon returned to work in the fields, starting in 2004, as goalkeeper coach from Galatasaray.
Taffarel, a winner
With a trajectory full of ups and downs, the balance of his career shows a goalkeeper who knew how to go through diversities and turn things around like a true champion, always remembered as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of Brazilian football.
Currently, Taffarel, who turns 57 this Monday (08), is a goalkeeper coach for the Brazilian national team and Liverpool, a team from Premier League. And he is part of the national team's Hall of Fame at the Brazilian Football Museum, alongside players like Pelé, Zico, Romário and Ronaldo.
Last Name
According to the Cognomix website, the surname Taffarel derives from the medieval name Taffarelo, which in turn is an Italianization of the Arabic name Tafar or Tafur.
In some cases, the surname may also derive from a nickname that indicated the profession of producer or seller of crockery.
The surname Taffarel is specific to the eastern region of Treviso. Its Tafaro variant, which is very rare, has some presence in the provinces of Syracuse and Potenza. Other variants of this surname are Taffarelli, Taffarello, Tafaro, Taffari, Taffaro and Tafforelli.
There are approximately 88 Taffarel families in Italy, with the regions with the greatest presence being the following: Veneto (60), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (9) and Piedmont (8).
The surname Taffarel is 5663rd in popularity in the Veneto region, 1440th in the province of Treviso and 43rd most common in the municipality of Fregona, which is in the province of Treviso, Veneto region.
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