The Class of 2002 - Where Are They Now?
Senegal made an impressive debut at the World Cup back in 2002, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition and being reigning champions France along the way. Brazil won the tournament - their fifth and most recent World Cup triumph having also been champions in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994.
Ahead of 'Seleção' and the 'The Lions of Teranga' meeting in a friendly at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Saturday 15 November, Andy Greeves finds out what selected members of Brazil and Senegal's class of 2002 have been up to since hanging up their boots…
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Brazil Kit 1 |
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BRAZIL
DIDA… One of Brazil's all-time goalkeeping greats, Dida won 91 caps for his country between 1995 and 2006. A legend at AC Milan, he gained Italian citizenship in 2013. Having previously worked as a goalkeeping coach for the Rossoneri first team, before departing in the summer of 2022, Dida returned to Milan and the San Siro this summer as an under-17 goalkeeping coach.
CAFU… Captain of Brazil's 2002 FIFA World Cup team - and member of another of their winning squads in 1994 - Cafu played a record 142 matches for the Seleção. Back in 2004, he founded Fundação Cafu in the neighbourhood in São Paulo where he grew up. He met Prince William on the Royal's visit to Rio de Janeiro earlier this month.
ROQUE JÚNIOR … The former defender has had two brief forays into management since retiring from playing, with XV de Piracicaba in 2015 and fellow São Paulo-based club Ituano FC in 2017. During his playing days, Roque Júnior won the Copa Libertadores with Palmeiras and the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan.
LÚCIO … Nicknamed 'O Cavalo' ('The Horse') during his playing days, due to his signature galloping runs on the ball, Lúcio became the last of Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning squad to retire from playing back in 2020, aged 41.
ROBERTO CARLOS… The former left-back served as a player-coach at Anzhi Makhachkala in 2012 and then manager at Sivasspor and Akhisarspor. He briefly came out of playing retirement when he was appointed player-manager of IIndian Super League club Delhi Dynamos in 2015. Carlos is also a long-time Real Madrid Foundation ambassador.
ZÉ ROBERTO … A calf injury saw Zé Roberto miss out on a place in Brazil's 2002 World Cup squad. The ex-Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich player is now a technical advisor to São Paulo-based club, Palmeiras.
VAMPETA… In addition to stints as head coach of Nacional (São Paulo) and Grêmio Osasco, Vampeta has worked extensively as a football pundit since hanging up his boots back in 2008.
JUNINHO PAULISTA… After retiring from playing, the Middlesbrough legend had a spell working for the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) developing the domestic game. He was then appointed team co-ordinator for the Brazil national team in July 2019, replacing former teammate Edu who departed the role to join Arsenal.
RIVALDO… The 1999 Ballon d'Or winner has remained involved in football since his retirement as a minority shareholder (10%) in Romanian club Farul Constanța. He previously served as president of his former club Mogi Mirim and even came out of retirement briefly in 2015 to play a number of matches for them.
RONALDO… 'R9' became the majority owner of La Liga club Real Valladolid in September 2018, purchasing a 51% controlling stake for €30m. He also invested a reported $70m in his former club Cruzeiro back in December 2021. He sold that stake in April 2024 but remains on the club's board of directors.
LUIZÃO … Capped 12 times by Brazil at senior level, Luizão was also part of the under-23 squad that won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games. Since hanging up his boots, the forward has worked for a sports management company and as a football pundit.
EDILSON… The ex-forward has had an extensive career as a pundit, appearing on television network Bandeirantes' daily football show, Os Donos da Bola (Owners of the Ball) and RedeTV! Programme Galera Esporte Clube (Crew Sports Club).
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Senegal Kit 1 |
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SENEGAL
TONY SYLVA… The then-Monaco goalkeeper started all five of Senegal's matches at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Since retiring from playing in 2010, the former Lille and Trabzonspor stopper has returned to the Senegal national team as goalkeeping coach.
OMAR DAF… The defender devoted the majority of his playing career to Sochaux for whom he played more than 200 matches in two spells with the club from 1997 to 2009 and between 2012 and 2013. He has since managed Sochaux and Dijon and currently holds the top job with Ligue 2 outfit Amiens.
ALIOU CISSÉ… Captain of Senegal's class of 2002 - who also reached that year's Africa Cup of Nations final - Cissé played in France and England during his playing career. As a manager, he led Senegal to Africa Cup of Nations glory in 2021 during a nine-year spell in charge of his homeland. He was appointed head coach of Libya earlier this year.
LAMINE DIATTA… The defender had brief spells with Newcastle United and Doncaster Rovers during a well-travelled playing career that also saw him turn out for clubs in France, Turkey, Scotland, Qatar and Tunisia. Post-playing, he returned to the Senegal national side setup as team coordinator.
FERDINAND COLY… Another starter in all five of Senegal's 2002 World Cup matches, Coly was involved with the Senegal national team for a number of years post-playing, in an organisational capacity. But more recently the former defender has been working as a farmer in Senegal's M'bour department.
ALASSANE N'DOUR… Fans of West Bromwich Albion and Walsall may recall N'Dour's brief spells with them during the noughties. The defensive midfielder was capped eight times by Senegal between 2001 and 2002 and his last-known playing action came with Greek side Doxa Drama between 2009 and 2010.
PAPA BOUBA DIOP… Scorer of the famous winning goal against France at the 2002 World Cup, Bouba Diop sadly passed away in November 2020, aged just 42. His playing career included spells with English clubs Fulham, Portsmouth, West Ham United and Birmingham City.
MOUSSA N'DIAYE… Part of the Monaco team which won the Ligue 1 title in 2000, N'Diaye won 58 caps for Senegal during his career. The midfielder retired in 2017 at the age of 38 having last represented US Gorée in his homeland.
PAPE SARR… After Senegal's successful 2002 World Cup showing, Sarr attended a two-day trial with Everton in December 2002 but never ended up signing for the Merseysiders. Instead, he turned out for the likes of Saint-Étienne, Lens, Deportivo Alavés (loan), Brest and Paris FC before retiring in 2012.
SALIF DIAO… Diao completed a degree in Sport Management and Leadership at the University of Liverpool after retiring from playing while he gained his UEFA 'A' coaching licence through The Football Association. He set up the Salif Diao Foundation/Sport4Charity in 2013. Graduates from his football academy, Galaxy Football Academy, include West Ham United's El Hadji Malick Diouf.
MAKHTAR N'DIAYE… After a career in which he turned out for Rennes, Sedan (loan), Yverdon-Sport and Rangers, N'Diaye was offered a trial at Dundee in the summer of 2008. Sadly, a broken arm sustained in a friendly match against Bradford City ultimately saw his playing days come to an end.
SYLVAIN N'DIAYE… Back in 2018, N'Diaye agreed to join Liverpool as a scout - working under their chief scout for the Iberian Peninsular, Kiko Espinar. The former midfielder turned out for clubs including Bordeaux, Gent, Monaco (loan), Lille, Marseille, Levante, Tenerife (loan), Reims and Cannes during his career.
KHALILOU FADIGA… Fadiga, who is also a Belgian national, served as an ambassador for the Senegalese Football Federation ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. One of his son's, Noah, is a professional footballer who currently plays for Greek Super League side Aris Thessaloniki.
HENRI CAMARA… Camara was 41 when he retired from playing in August 2018. The forward, who scored Senegal's golden goal in their round of 16 victory over Sweden at the 2002 World Cup, played professionally in France, Switzerland, Scotland, England and Greece during his career.
EL HADJI DIOUF… After retiring from playing, Diouf served as a goodwill ambassador and advisor on sport to Senegalese president Macky Sall. His other post-playing ventures have seen him set up a newspaper in Senegal called Sport 11.
SOULEYMANE CAMARA… The midfielder is Montpellier's all-time leading appearance maker, having featured in 433 matches for them between 2008 and 2020. He made history in 2019 by becoming the first player to score in 15 Ligue 1 seasons during the 21st century.
Senegal are in Group I at World Cup 2026 where they will face France, Norway and Iraq.
© Andy Greeves & Soccerphile.com
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