Capi (footballer, born 1977)


Jesús Capitán Prada, known as Capi, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
He played most of his professional career with Betis, which included 209 La Liga games and 16 goals over the course of nine seasons.

Club career

Capi was born in Camas, Seville, Andalusia. Apart from a loan spell at Granada CF in the third division, Capi spent the vast majority of his career at Real Betis. Previously, he appeared nearly 150 times with the club's B-side, and made his first-team – and La Liga – debut against Valencia CF on 26 May 1997, one of only two during the 1996–97 season.
Capi went to play over 250 league games for Betis, always as an important part of the squad. He scored his first goal for the club on 19 November 2000, albeit in a 1–3 home defeat against neighbouring Sevilla FC where he excelled before being stretchered off with 15 minutes to go and the score at 1–1, as the campaign in Segunda División ended in promotion for both clubs 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.
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 against CD Numancia. Betis were eventually relegated to division two.
Capi continued to be bothered with injuries in the 2009–10 season, but still played 26 games as the club failed to regain its lost status. On 19 June 2010, the 33-year-old appeared in his last game as a Verdiblanco, the useless 4–0 home win against Levante UD, his contract expiring and not being renewed.
In summer 2012, after a couple of second tier campaigns with another side in his native region, Xerez CD, Capi signed with amateurs Camas Club de Fútbol, his first-ever club as a footballer. He retired in 2014 at age 37, being immediately appointed as Juan Merino's assistant manager at Betis B.

International career

Capi earned four caps for the Spain national team, making his debut on 27 March 2002 against the Netherlands, in a friendly match played in Rotterdam. He featured in a further three internationals, all during that year.

Honours

Betis