Caçapa

Caçapa

Caçapa playing for Newcastle United
Personal information
Full name	Cláudio Roberto da Silva
Date of birth	(1976-05-29) 29 May 1976 (age 40)
Place of birth	Lavras, Brazil
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1996–2001	Atlético Mineiro	68	(2)
2001	→ Lyon (loan)	6	(1)
2001–2007	Lyon	119	(6)
2007–2009	Newcastle United	29	(1)
2009–2010	Cruzeiro	22	(1)
2011	Évian	12	(1)
2011	Avaí	6	(0)
Total		262	(13)
National team‡
2000–2001	Brazil	3	(0)
Teams managed
2014–2015	Brazil U15
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:31, 2 November 2011 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:15, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

Cláudio Roberto da Silva (born 29 May 1976) commonly known as Cláudio Caçapa or simply Caçapa (Brazilian Portuguese: [kaˈsapɐ]; born 29 May 1976) is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a central defender. Having made his senior debut in 1996 for Atlético Mineiro, Caçapa went on to play for Lyon, Newcastle United, Cruzeiro, Évian and Avaí. He was capped three times by the Brazil national team.

Caçapa began his career in 1996 with Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro, where he established himself as a first team regular. He received the Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball) award in 1999 after being voted the best defender in Série A that season.

In 2001, Caçapa began attracting interest from European clubs and joined Lyon on loan in 2001. He played his first game in the French Ligue 1 championship on 17 February 2001 and scored in the 2001 Coupe de la Ligue Final which Lyon won after extra time. In the summer, he signed a 5-year contract with the club. He was captain of Lyon for five seasons, winning the French championship in each of these seasons. He became a French citizen in October 2006 after living in the country for over 5 years.

His contract with Lyon expired in the summer of 2007 and he refused to sign a new deal with the club.