Cláudio Roberto da Silva, commonly known as Caçapa, is a Brazilian defender born on May 29, 1976 in Lavras. He received a call-up to the Brazil national football team in 2000 and made his debut against Thailand on February 23, 2000. He has so far made four appearances for the national side and was a part of the Brazil squad at the 2001 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Confederations Cup.
Claudio Caçapa began his career in 1996 with the Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro and soon became a regular player in its first team. He was a vital member of the team that won the Minas Gerais State Championship and the Copa Conmebol in 1997 and received the Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) award after being voted the best defender in Série A that season. In all, he played 68 games for Atletico Mineiro and scored two goals for it.
Claudio Caçapa went on to sign a deal with Olympique Lyonnais and made his debut at the French Ligue 1 Championship in February 2001. He was a part of the team that lifted the Ligue 1 title 6 times in a row from 2002 to 2007 and also the Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup) in 2001. Claudio Cacapa was also the captain of Lyon for five seasons and led his team to the French Championship titles in all those seasons.
Claudio Cacapa signed a two-year deal with New Castle United F.C. on August 3, 2007. He became the 1,000th player to represent the Magpies in a competitive match on his debut against Aston Villa F.C. that ended in a goalless draw. His home debut for Newcastle came in a 2-0 win over Barnsley F.C. on September 1, 2007, and it was followed by his Premier League home debut in a 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic F.C. His first goal for his club came through a header against Tottenham Hotspur F.C. on October 22, 2007. He earned the ‘Man of the Match’ title in Newcastle’s away win at Fulham. His second goal for the Magpies came on January 16, 2008 in a 4-1 victory over Stoke City F.C. that saw Newcastle progress to the 4th Round of the Football Association (FA) Cup.
