Caçapa

Atlético Mineiro

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 Prata (Silver Ball) award in 1999 after being voted the best defender in Série A that season.

Lyon

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

Newcastle United

Caçapa signed for Newcastle United on a Free transfer after his contract with previous club Lyon expired, on 3 August 2007, signing an initial two-year deal with an option for a third. He made his debut for Newcastle as an 89th-minute substitute during the goalless draw against Aston Villa on 18 August, and in doing so he became the 1,000th player to represent the Magpies in a competitive match. He scored his first goal for the club with a header against Tottenham Hotspur on 22 October in a 3–1 win. On 3 November, Caçapa was substituted out of Newcastle's game against…

Caçapa's impressive form at Atlético Mineiro was rewarded with a call-up to the Brazil national team. He made his debut for his country on 23 February 2000 against Thailand and went on to make three international appearances and one unofficial international appearance in a match against Japanese club Tokyo Verdy.

Caçapa was hired as the manager of Brazil's under 15 national team in December 2013. He was sacked on 27 February 2015. He was appointed as the assistant manager of Lyon in January 2016. On 30 June 2023, Caçapa was named interim head coach of Botafogo back in his home country. On 25 July 2023, Caçapa was named RWD Molenbeek new head coach. On 11 February 2024, he parted ways with the club. On 13 February 2025, Caçapa returned to Botafogo as a permanent assistant coach, being also named interim head coach of the main squad. In July that year, he was reappointed as interim coach following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Caçapa returned to the assistant role after the arrival of Davide Ancelotti, and left Fogão on 24 February 2026, after being appointed head coach of Série C side Confiança. On 10 May, after nine defeats in 18 matches, he was dismissed from the latter.

Atlético Mineiro

Campeonato Mineiro: 1997 Copa CONMEBOL: 1997 Lyon

Ligue 1: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 Coupe de la Ligue: 2000–01 Trophée des Champions: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Évian

Ligue 2: 2010–11