Cacau facts for kids
Cacau in 2016
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Claudemir Jerônimo Barreto | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1981 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1994 | União Mogi | |||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Palmeiras | |||||||||||||||
| 1997 | União Mogi | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Nacional | |||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Türkgücü München | 31 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | 1. FC Nürnberg II | 18 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 44 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2014 | VfB Stuttgart | 263 | (80) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Cerezo Osaka | 24 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | VfB Stuttgart II | 9 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 389 | (121) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Germany | 23 | (6) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Claudemir Jerônimo Barreto (born March 27, 1981), known as Cacau, is a former professional football player. He was a striker, which means he played upfront to score goals. Cacau was born in Brazil but later played for the German national team.
He became a German citizen in February 2009. Just a few months later, in May 2009, he played his first international game for Germany against China. Cacau was also part of the German team that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Football Journey
Starting in Germany
Cacau's football journey in Germany began in the 1999–2000 season. He joined a team called Türkgücü München, which was in the fifth division. After playing well there, he moved to the reserve team of 1. FC Nürnberg.
His strong performances with the reserve team led to his first game in the Bundesliga. This is Germany's top football league. He made his debut on November 18, 2001, against Hansa Rostock. In only his second Bundesliga match, on December 8, 2001, he scored two goals. He finished his first Bundesliga season with 6 goals in 17 games. However, the next season was tougher, and his team, Nürnberg, was moved down to a lower league.
Playing for VfB Stuttgart
Cacau signed with VfB Stuttgart in January 2003 and joined them for the 2003–04 season. In his first year with Stuttgart, he also played in four UEFA Champions League matches. This is a big competition for top European clubs.
During the 2004–05 season, he scored 12 goals in the Bundesliga. He was the second-best goal scorer for his club that year. He also did well in the UEFA Cup, scoring two goals in three straight matches.
After a less successful season in 2005–06, Cacau became a key player in 2007. He helped Stuttgart win the league title. He scored 13 goals, making him the team's second-best scorer again. He scored two important goals in a 2–0 win against Bayern Munich. He also scored the winning goal in a 3–2 away game against VfL Bochum.
In the 2006–07 season, he also helped Stuttgart reach the final of the DFB-Pokal, which is Germany's main cup competition. He scored five goals in six matches. He even scored the first goal in the final against his old team, Nürnberg. However, he was sent off (given a red card) shortly after, and Stuttgart lost the final.
In the 2007–08 season, he played five more games in the UEFA Champions League. He scored his first goal in that competition, helping Stuttgart win 3–2 against Rangers. He also helped the club finish sixth in the Bundesliga, scoring 9 goals in 27 games. In 2008–09, he scored 7 goals in 25 league matches. This helped Stuttgart finish third in the league.
On February 20, 2010, Cacau scored four goals in one game. This was a big 5–1 win against 1. FC Köln. On April 30, he scored his last goal of that season in a 2–1 win against 1899 Hoffenheim. This brought his total to eight Bundesliga goals for the season. After this, on May 1, 2010, Cacau extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until the summer of 2013.
Cacau started the 2011–12 Bundesliga season well. He scored a header against Schalke 04 on August 6, helping his team win 3–0. On March 22, 2013, Cacau extended his contract with Stuttgart until June 2014.
Later Career and Retirement
On August 11, 2014, Cacau moved to Cerezo Osaka, a team in Japan. He played there until June 9, 2015, when his contract ended.
On February 1, 2016, Cacau returned to Stuttgart. He joined VfB Stuttgart II, which is the reserve team. Cacau announced that he was retiring from professional football on October 11, 2016.
Playing for Germany
Even though Cacau was born in Brazil, he never played for the Brazilian national team. In February 2009, he became able to play for Germany. This happened after he received a German passport because he had lived and played in Germany for more than eight years.
On May 19, 2009, Germany's coach, Joachim Löw, called Cacau to join the national team. He was called for friendly matches against China and the United Arab Emirates. He played his first international game on May 29, 2009, in Germany's 1–1 draw against China. He came into the game as a substitute. Four days later, he also played in Germany's 7–2 win against the UAE. He helped set up a goal for another player in that game.
Cacau scored his first two goals for Germany on May 13, 2010, in a 3–0 win over Malta. He scored his first goal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage on June 13, 2010. He came on as a substitute against Australia and scored quickly, making the score 4–0. He later received a yellow card in that match.
After another player was sent off in a game against Serbia, Cacau played against Ghana. Germany won that game 1–0. In the third-place game of the World Cup, Germany played Uruguay on July 10. Cacau started the game, and Germany won 3–2, taking third place in the World Cup.
Cacau continued to play regularly for Germany in the qualification games for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. However, he was not chosen for Germany's final team for Euro 2012.
About Cacau's Life
Cacau has a brother named Vlademir Jeronimo Barreto, who is also a football player. Vlademir lives in Brazil.
Cacau is a dedicated Christian and says his faith is a very important part of his life. After he became a German citizen in 2009, his teammates at VfB Stuttgart gave him a nickname: Helmut. This nickname was given by his Swiss teammate, Ludovic Magnin, who thought that since Cacau was German, he should have a proper German name.
In 2021, Cacau was featured in a documentary called Schwarze Adler. This film shared the experiences of Black players in German professional football.
Career Statistics Summary
Cacau played many games throughout his career. Here is a summary of his appearances and goals for different clubs and for the German national team.
- Türk Gücü München: 31 games, 7 goals (2000–2001)
- 1. FC Nürnberg: 44 games, 8 goals (2001–2003)
- VfB Stuttgart: 263 games, 80 goals (2003–2014)
- Cerezo Osaka: 12 games, 5 goals (2014)
- VfB Stuttgart II: 8 games, 3 goals (2015–2016)
In total, Cacau played 358 league games and scored 103 goals for his clubs. He also played 23 games for the German national team and scored 6 goals.
Awards and Achievements
Cacau achieved several honors during his football career:
- VfB Stuttgart
- Bundesliga (German League Title): 2006–07
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup) Runner-up: 2006–07, 2012–13
- Germany National Team
- FIFA World Cup Third Place: 2010
- Individual Awards
- DFB-Pokal Top Goalscorer: 2006–07
See also
In Spanish: Cacau para niños
