Position: Goalkeeper

Born: 07.10.73

Club: AC Milan

After a number of false starts, Dida has now firmly established himself as Brazil's first-choice 'keeper with over 80 caps to his name.

A troubled first spell at AC Milan saw his form and confidence drop alarmingly as he slipped from first to third-choice at the Italian giants.

His misery was compounded when he was banned for a year in the passport scandal that rocked Serie A.

After a season back at Corinthians in Brazil in 2001/02, Dida returned to Italy with renewed confidence and has been instrumental in Milan's recent successes, notably in the penalty shoot-out win over Juventus in the 2003 Champions League final.

Despite his penalty-saving skills, the big Brazilian was famously unable to prevent Liverpool clinching a fifth European title on spot-kicks in May.

After playing second fiddle to Marcos at the last World Cup, Dida will be determined to play a more significant role in any Brazil success this time around.