Dida is the first major Brazilian goalkeeper to be known by a nickname, as opposed to the tradition of going by either his first or last name. He first represented the "Seleção" at the under-20 level as first choice at the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship, keeping four clean sheets in six matches and conceding only two goals as Brazil were victorious. After Taffarel was suspended for the first two games of the 1995 Copa América due to a uniform violation, Dida earned his first cap for the senior side at age 21 in a 1–0 defeat of Ecuador, and started in Brazil's 2–0 win over Peru.