Having made his senior debut in 1996 for Atlético Mineiro, Caçapa went on to play for Lyon, Newcastle United, Cruzeiro, Évian and Avaí.

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

[7] 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 second goal for Newcastle on 16 January 2008 when they went through to the FA Cup 4th Round after a 4–1 replay victory over Stoke City.

In the 2008–09 season he was utilised both as a defender and a midfielder due to Newcastle having both a small squad and numerous injuries to players.

[14] He was released from his contract after the end of the season and announced his retirement on 20 March 2012, also opening a football school called Arena Lyon in his hometown Lavras.

[15] Caçapa's impressive form at Atlético Mineiro was rewarded with a call-up to the Brazil national team.