Caio Canedo Corrêa (born 9 August 1990), known as Caio Canedo or simply Caio, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for UAE Pro League club Al Wasl and the United Arab Emirates national team. Born in Brazil, he acquired Emirati citizenship in 2020.

Early life

Canedo was born on August 9, 1990 in the Volta Redonda municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Canedo would later move to Nantucket, Massachusetts in the United States when he was 9. He would play football for Nantucket High School before moving back to Brazil to play in the youth ranks of Volta Redonda at age 16.

Club career

Volta Redonda

Caio made his debut for Volta Redonda against Mesquita on 15 February 2009. He scored his first goal for the club against Duque de Caxias, scoring in the 35th minute.

Botafogo

Caio made his Botafogo debut against Macaé on 16 January 2010. He scored his first goal for the club against America RJ on 30 January 2010, scoring in the 87th minute. Caio is a fan favourite to Botafogo fans.

Figueirense

Caio scored on his debut for Figueirense against Náutico on 20 May 2012, scoring in the 90th+4th minute.

Internacional

In January 2013, Caio joined Internacional. He made his debut for Internacional against Esportivo on 3 March 2013. He scored his first goal for the club against Esportivo on 31 March 2013, scoring in the 45th minute.

Vitória

Caio made his debut for Vitória against Athletico Paranaense on 27 April 2014.

Loan spell at Al Wasl

Caio joined Al Wasl on loan in 2014. He made his debut for Al Wasl against Shabab Al Ahli on 26 September 2014. He scored his first goal for the club against Kalba on 5 October 2014, scoring in the 8th minute.

Al Wasl

Caio made his debut for Al Wasl against Al Nasr on 21 September 2015. He scored his first goal for the club against Fujairah on 24 October 2015, scoring in the 46th minute.

Al Ain

Caio scored on his debut for Al Ain against Hatta on 19 October 2019, scoring a penalty in the 42nd minute.

Third spell at Al Wasl

Caio made his debut for Al Wasl against Emirates on 19 August 2023. He scored his first goal for the club against Sharjah on 27 August 2023, scoring in the 90th+1st minute.

International career

Prior to becoming cap-tied to the United Arab Emirates, Canedo was being scouted by United States U20 coach Thomas Rongen but was deemed ineligible to due to a lack of a green card.

East Timor

Caio received his East Timorese passport in 2015, despite having no known means of eligibility such as a family connection or residency. An inquiry held by the Prime Minister of East Timor in 2016 heard that Caio was one of seven Brazilian men's footballers to receive falsified baptism documents from East Timor's Catholic Church in order to make it appear he was eligible for East Timorese nationality.

United Arab Emirates

In January 2020, Caio acquired Emirati citizenship which qualified him to play for United Arab Emirates national team to compete at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. Caio debuted in a friendly 3–2 win over Tajikistan on 12 November 2020. On 4 January 2024, Caio was named in the UAE's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Botafogo Internacional Al Ain Al Wasl