| Mathieu Cafaro | |
| Birth Date: | 25 March 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Saint-Doulchard, France |
| Height: | 1.78 m |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Saint-Étienne |
| Clubnumber: | 18 |
| Youthyears1: | –2016 |
| Youthclubs1: | Toulouse |
| Years1: | 2015–2017 |
| Clubs1: | Toulouse B |
| Caps1: | 28 |
| Goals1: | 11 |
| Years2: | 2016 |
| Clubs2: | Toulouse |
| Caps2: | 4 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs3: | Reims B |
| Caps3: | 17 |
| Goals3: | 3 |
| Years4: | 2017–2022 |
| Clubs4: | Reims |
| Caps4: | 83 |
| Goals4: | 12 |
| Years5: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs5: | Standard Liège |
| Caps5: | 12 |
| Goals5: | 2 |
| Years6: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs6: | → Saint-Étienne (loan) |
| Caps6: | 33 |
| Goals6: | 5 |
| Years7: | 2023– |
| Clubs7: | Saint-Étienne |
| Caps7: | 34 |
| Goals7: | 4 |
| Club-Update: | 04:42, 3 June 2024 (UTC) |
Mathieu Cafaro (born 25 March 1997) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Saint-Étienne.
Cafaro is a youth product of Toulouse. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 10 September 2015 against Bastia.[1] On 3 April 2017, he was released from the club, along with Odsonne Édouard, due to inappropriate behavior outside the club involving the shooting of a passer-by with an airsoft gun.[2] Cafaro later admitted that he was the one who shot the gun.[3] On 13 June, the Toulouse Prosecutor requested a four-month suspended prison sentence and a €6,000 fine for Édouard's involvement. Édouard claimed that Cafaro was the shooter while Cafaro stated he was not in the car at the time of the incident.[4]
Cafaro helped Reims win the 2017–18 Ligue 2, which earned them promotion to the Ligue 1 for the 2018–19 season.[5] He participated in one league match during the campaign, a 3–1 win over Niort on 27 April 2018. Cafaro would go on to score twelve goals in eighty-two Ligue 1 matches for Reims before leaving the club in January 2022.
On 11 January 2022, Cafaro signed for Belgian club Standard Liège.[6] The deal reportedly involved no transfer fee, although Reims were given a "considerable" sell-on percentage fee.[7]
On 20 July 2022, Cafaro joined Ligue 2 club Saint-Étienne on a season-long loan with an option-to-buy.[8] He eventually joined the club permanently in June 2023.[9]
Cafaro is of Italian descent through his paternal grandfather.[10]
Reims