Capi (footballer, born 1977)

Jesús Capitán Prada (born 26 March 1977), known as Capi, is a Spanish former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and the current manager of Real Betis C.

For other people named CAPI, see CAPI (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Capitán and the second or maternal family name is Prada.

Capi
Capi at Betis in 2008
Personal information
Full name Jesús Capitán Prada
Date of birth (1977-03-26) 26 March 1977
Place of birth Camas, Spain
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Betis C (manager)
Youth career
Camas
Betis
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1999 Betis B 127 (11)
1997–2010 Betis 269 (19)
1999–2000 → Granada (loan) 33 (4)
2010–2012 Xerez 59 (3)
2012–2014 Camas
Total 488 (37)
International career
2002 Spain 4 (0)
Managerial career
2014–2016 Betis B (assistant)
2018–2019 Camas (youth)
2019–2021 Camas
2022– Betis C
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He spent most of his professional career with Betis, which included 209 La Liga games and 16 goals over the course of nine seasons (13 overall).[1]

Club career

Betis

Capi was born in Camas, Seville, Andalusia. Apart from a loan spell at Granada CF in the Segunda División B, he spent the vast majority of his career at Real Betis.[1] He started out with their reserves in the same league,[1] and made his first-team and La Liga debut against Valencia CF on 26 May 1997, one of only two during the season.[2][3]

Capi went to play over 300 competitive games for the Estadio Benito Villamarín-based club, always as an important part of the squad.[4] He scored his first goal for them on 19 November 2000, albeit in a 1–3 home defeat to neighbouring Sevilla FC where he excelled before being stretchered off with 15 minutes to go and the score at 1–1,[5] as the campaign in Segunda División ended in promotion for both sides in the city. However, in 2004–05, as the team achieved a fourth place in the league, with qualification to the UEFA Champions League, he appeared in only 11 matches, mainly due to injuries.[1]

After another two-and-a-half-month spell in the sidelines, Capi returned to action on 4 April 2009, netting as a second-half substitute in a 3–3 home draw with CD Numancia.[6][7] Betis were eventually relegated to division two.[1]

Capi continued to be bothered with injuries in the 2009–10 season, but still contributed 26 appearances – only three complete – as the club failed to regain its lost status.[1] On 19 June 2010, the 33-year-old appeared in his last game as a Verdiblanco, the useless 4–0 home win over Levante UD (they finished in fourth place, tied with both the second and third-placed teams), his contract subsequently expiring and not being renewed.[8]

Later career

In summer 2012, after a couple of second-tier campaigns with another side in his native region, Xerez CD,[9] Capi signed with amateurs Camas Club de Fútbol, his first-ever club as a footballer.[10] He retired in 2014 at age 37, being immediately appointed as Juan Merino's assistant manager at Betis B.[11]

International career

Capi earned four caps for the Spain national team, making his debut on 27 March 2002 against the Netherlands in a 1–0 friendly loss in Rotterdam.[12] He featured in a further three internationals the same year.[1]

Honours

Betis

References
  1. Yo jugué en el Real Betis: Capi (I played for Real Betis: Capi) Archived 23 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine; Vavel, 21 September 2013 (in Spanish)
  2. 1–1: La garra del Valencia no consigue apagar los fogonazos del Betis (1–1: Valencia spunk can not put out Betis fires); ABC, 27 May 1997 (in Spanish)
  3. 0–1: El público del Villamarín festejó el triunfo del Sporting (0–1: Villamarín crowd celebrated Sporting triumph); ABC, 1 June 1997 (in Spanish)
  4. Capi deja atrás casi dos décadas como jugador del Real Betis (Capi leaves nearly two decades as Real Betis player behind); Marca, 20 June 2010 (in Spanish)
  5. El Sevilla volvió a sacar tajada de su visita al campo del Betis (Sevilla fished again in trip to Betis' ground); Marca, 19 November 2000 (in Spanish)
  6. Real Betis 3–3 Numancia; ESPN Soccernet, 4 April 2009
  7. Partido loco, pero todo sigue igual (Crazy game, but everything remains the same); Marca, 4 April 2009 (in Spanish)
  8. Capi: El adiós a un grande (Capi: Farewell to a great); ABC, 20 June 2010 (in Spanish)
  9. Capi ficha por el Xerez y Díaz de Cerio y Vélez no quieren dejar el Athletic de Bilbao (Capi signs for Xerez and Díaz de Cerio and Vélez do not want to leave Athletic de Bilbao); La Verdad, 17 July 2010 (in Spanish)
  10. Capi firma por el Camas CF y jugará esta temporada en Primera Provincial (Capi signs for Camas CF and will play this season in Primera Provincial); Ideal, 16 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  11. Capi volverá a Granada como segundo entrenador del Betis B, y Cervián con el filial sevillista (Capi will return to Granada as Betis B assistant manager, and Cervián with Sevilla's reserves); Ideal, 9 July 2014 (in Spanish)
  12. Ensayo preocupante (Worrying rehearsal); Mundo Deportivo, 28 March 2002 (in Spanish)
  13. Dani delivers for Betis; UEFA, 11 June 2005
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