Cafu only played six minutes in the Premier League for Forest but his contribution will be remembere

In years to come, there is a good chance a quiz question will be: who only played six minutes of Premier League football for Nottingham Forest?

But while his opportunities may have been limited, the man who is likely to be the answer to that question (barring a dramatic change in circumstances) will still be fondly remembered at the City Ground.

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Despite minimal minutes on the pitch, 29-year-old Cafu, or to use his full name, Carlos Miguel Ribeiro Dias, has still somehow managed to provide an inordinate number of memorable moments.

Yet during last season’s promotion push, he had only 346 minutes on the pitch from two starts and 13 sub appearances, and now he has been left out of the 25-man squad, along with Lyle Taylor and Harry Arter.

Arter’s exclusion was not a shock given he has been training away from the first-team group for roughly a year. Without being unkind, the fact Cafu and Taylor were not included was not a huge surprise either following 22 new summer signings.

Both were peripheral figures as Forest won promotion, so they were unlikely to be anything more in the top flight, particularly following that £150million ($167.5m) spend.

Striker Taylor arguably provided the turning point for last season with his two dramatic late goals that earned a 2-1 win at Bristol City last October. Lewis Grabban recently said it was the moment he came to believe Forest would win promotion. But while Taylor was an important catalyst, he never quite forged the same bond with supporters as his Portuguese team-mate. Nor was he the same influence in the dressing room or on the training ground, where much of Cafu’s contribution went unseen by supporters.

Last season, following Saturday games, the players who had not been involved — and sometimes those who had been on the bench — would train on a Sunday. Many might expect these sessions would be less intense than during the week, when players might go through the motions.

Not so at Forest. 

“In terms of culture, I think you can always judge it by looking at the guys who are not playing regularly,” Cooper told The Athletic towards the end of last season. “That is always a good indicator. And these are some of the things I have been most proud of. How these players have been training, how they have fitted in. 

“Training on Sunday mornings — they were some of the best sessions we have had, in terms of quality, intensity and players wanting to do well. That is always a good sign.

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“He is a really good guy, Cafu. For somebody who has been a bit frustrated, probably, if we are honest — he has not shown it. He is always very positive. He is professional, he is committed and he is very well-liked among the players and staff. Nobody wants to be known for this, but he is the perfect example of somebody waiting in the wings, waiting for an opportunity. He always does his all to make sure he is ready.”

It is possible to sum up many players’ contributions through statistics and numbers. Cafu’s legacy at Forest will be more about colour and character. 

He is one of a few successful signings to have arrived from Olympiacos, joining Forest initially on loan in October 2020. The move was made permanent in the summer of 2021 and, in all, Cafu has made 44 starts and 28 sub appearances in all competitions for the club.

While the likes of Panagiotis Tachtsidis, Andreas Bouchalakis and Miguel Guerrero — among others — had limited impact after joining from Forest’s sister club in Athens, Cafu has been a positive addition. He was a regular during the 2020-21 season, when his versatility saw him used as a deeper midfielder and a No 10. 

When he scored his one and only goal for Forest, in injury time during a 4-1 win at Swansea last December, he responded in the manner of a man who had just scored the winning goal in the World Cup final. It was a crisply taken finish, admittedly — but the three points had already been secured.

But that was just part of the joy of Cafu. 

At Millwall, when Grabban scored an injury-time goal that made victory certain in a 1-0 success in January, Cafu — one of the substitutes — was like a blur down the touchline as he sprinted to celebrate. In the next game, against old rivals Derby, substitute Cafu was quickly on the scene to physically wrestle away a few opposition players in a no-nonsense fashion when things got heated at the side of the pitch. 

He probably made his most meaningful contribution when he came off the bench in the 119th minute in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Sheffield United and duly slotted home his penalty, even if Wes Foderingham got a hand to it. It was perhaps the most important touch of a ball he had in a Forest shirt. His celebration, by his standards, was subdued: a meaningful look towards the celebrating Forest fans.

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Cafu did not get off the bench in the final at Wembley, but he could be seen coaching the other players from the side of the pitch.

Watching the Playoff final again (101 times) I have just noticed Cafu coaching the team from the sidelines from about the 76 minute until the final whistle , What a guy and he is kicking every ball #nffc pic.twitter.com/sBrfE1mDbJ

— John Calladine (@lardlikesdogs) June 17, 2022

And his celebrations in the capital at the heart of the promotion party were joyous. There were prayers of thanks on the pitch, an impressive jig and, in the dressing room afterwards, for reasons only he might be able to explain, there was a running dive along the floor with his shorts dropped and, well, his backside out.

I adore you cafu 🤣🔴⚪️ #NFFC pic.twitter.com/99F30b5F6O

— Kaelem🔴 (@kaelemnffc) May 30, 2022

When the Forest players later found a bar in which to celebrate, things were initially subdued, with both Cooper and some of the club hierarchy also in attendance — but the ice was broken by Cafu doing cartwheels on the dance floor.

“Supporters will definitely look back on him fondly if and when he does leave,” says Forest fan Mikey Clarke. “Whatever talent a player has can be almost irrelevant to fans, if they can see that they are giving their all. The one thing you can say about Cafu is that he put his heart into absolutely everything. When you watched him, you could see he was giving everything he had.

“He is not the best midfielder we have ever had, but he still managed to be popular; you could see that he loves playing for Forest. When Cafu did do something that stood out, you felt as though he really made the most of the moment. Fans love a bit of that. There was that little ruckus at Derby, his penalty against Sheffield United, the goal against Swansea… lots of little moments that all add up.

“He had one or two moments where he looked like he could play as well. It was all about team spirit last season when we won promotion, and he was one of those that always seemed to be at the heart of that. It is hard not to love him.”

Cafu’s one Premier League appearance might well have been two, if not for one of those events that is more important than football. The midfielder was due to be part of the squad that faced Everton on August 20, but his partner went into labour and the day ended with the birth of their son.

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Cafu has previously led a nomadic existence, having had spells in his home country with Benfica and Vitoria, before moves to Lorient, Metz and Legia Warsaw. The couple are understood to be fond of life in Nottingham and, with Cafu likely to be available in January, there will surely be suitors for him in the Championship. 

Cooper, who said he was disappointed to have had to leave Cafu and Taylor out of his squad, confirmed on Friday that Cafu has maintained his positive attitude even after being sidelined.

“Cafu is still the same guy,” said Cooper. “He is a great guy, he is very professional and he does his very best every single day.”

(Top photo: Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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