After starting out at Defensor Sporting, he was bought by Spanish club Villarreal in 2007. In the following years he competed in Spain and Italy, notably winning six Serie A titles with Juventus and the 2009 Champions League with Barcelona. He later had a brief spell in England with Southampton before returning to Italy in 2017; despite his ability, his career was limited by several injuries.[5]
Born in Montevideo, Cáceres started his career with his local team Defensor, becoming a regular at a young age and competing in one full Primera División season with them. In early February 2007, he signed for Spanish club Villarreal, with the deal being made effective in July.[6][7]
Upon arriving at Villarreal, Cáceres was immediately sent on loan to fellow La Liga side Recreativo,[8] being one of the most used players during the season and often partnering Beto in central defence as the Andalusians managed to retain their division status, finishing in 16th position; on 9 January 2008, he scored against the club that owned his rights in the Copa del Rey (1–0 home win, but 2–1 loss on aggregate),[9] and never appeared officially for them.
Barcelona
Cáceres joined Barcelona on 4 June 2008, with a reported transfer fee of €16.5 million being paid to Villarreal. A buyout clause of €50 million was included in the deal, which ran until June 2012.[10] During his only season at the Camp Nou he featured sparsely, due to both injury and technical decisions.[11]
On 6 August 2009, Barcelona loaned Cáceres to Juventus in Serie A, with the Turin team having an option to make his stay permanent at the end of the season for €11 million, plus €1 million in variables.[14] He made his debut in a pre-season friendly against former team Villarreal the following day, replacing Jonathan Zebina at right-back at half-time.[15]
The league season began well for Cáceres as he made a goal-scoring debut, netting the opener in a 2–0 away win against Lazio.[16] He began as a regular under Ciro Ferrara, but his campaign would be ultimately disrupted by a number of injuries, including one in January 2010 that put him out of action for several months.[17]
Sevilla
On 30 August 2010, Cáceres returned to Spain and joined Sevilla on a season-long loan, with an option to purchase.[18] He featured regularly for the Gregorio Manzano-led team, especially at right-back following the return of Abdoulay Konko to Genoa in January 2011.[19]
On 1 May 2011, Cáceres was severely injured by Michael Jakobsen in a match against Almería, suffering a lacerated kidney following a dangerous challenge. The Dane was given a straight red card, and the South American was initially ruled out for the rest of the campaign,[20] but unexpectedly recovered for the final two games, with his side finishing fifth and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.
On 31 May 2011, Sevilla agreed a €3 million deal plus €1.5 million in variables with Barcelona for the permanent move of Cáceres to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.[21] In late January 2012, however, he returned to Juventus on loan.[22]
Juventus return
Cáceres (front right) warming up for Juventus in Singapore in August 2014
At Juventus, Cáceres chose to wear the number 4 shirt, which had previously belonged to compatriot Paolo Montero.[23] He made his debut for Juve in his second spell on 8 February 2012, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 away win against AC Milan in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and scoring both of his team's goals.[24] On 25 March he netted his first league goal, heading home an Andrea Pirlocorner kick in the 57th minute of a 2–0 home victory over Inter Milan.[25]
On 25 May 2012, Cáceres joined Juventus on a permanent basis, signing a four-year contract.[26] He missed most of the first half of the 2014–15 campaign, after picking up an injury in a 3–2 home win over Roma in October 2014 which sidelined him for three months. He returned to the starting line-up on 11 January 2015, scoring in a 3–1 defeat of Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo.[27] On 8 March, however, he fractured his ankle during a training session, requiring surgery; as a result, he was ruled out indefinitely.[28]
Cáceres returned to the starting line-up on 8 August 2015, in Juventus' 2–0 victory over Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana.[29][30] In late September, however, he had his driving license revoked for six months and was suspended by the club after crashing his Ferrari into a bus stop in Turin following a wrong turn. He was alleged to have been over the legal alcohol limit for driving.[31][32]
Cáceres returned to action on 6 January 2016, starting and playing 84 minutes in a 3–0 home win against Hellas Verona.[33] On 4 February, it was confirmed that he would be sidelined for the rest of the season due to the rupture of his right Achilles tendon during the match the day before against Genoa.[34] In May, Juventus' director of football Giuseppe Marotta announced that the player's contract would not be renewed, and that he would be leaving the club on 30 June.[35]
After three months at St Mary's Stadium, Cáceres appeared in his first and only game for Southampton, starting in a 2–1 away win over Middlesbrough on 13 May.[39] He was released on 25 May.[40]
Hellas Verona
Cáceres returned to Italy in early August 2017, signing for Hellas Verona on a deal running until 30 June 2018.[41] However, it was reported that Lazio had already expressed an interest in acquiring his services, but were ultimately unable to as their quota of two non-EU signings from abroad had already been filled. He joined Verona instead as a result, although rumours circulated in the media linking him with a possible move to Lazio in January as there were no restrictions impeding the transfer of non-EU players between Italian clubs.[42][43][44]
Lazio and Juventus
On 8 January 2018, Cáceres joined Lazio on a one-year contract with the option for a renewal.[45][46] He scored his only goal of the campaign on 18 April in a 4–3 away defeat of Fiorentina,[47] featuring sparingly for the fifth-placed team.[48]
On 29 January 2019, Juventus announced the signing of Cáceres on a five-month loan, marking this as his third spell at the club.[49] He made his first appearance since 2016 on 2 February, in a 3–3 home draw against Parma in the domestic league.[50]
Cáceres left Juventus at the end of the season, when his contract with Lazio also expired.[51]
Fiorentina
On 30 August 2019, Cáceres joined Fiorentina on a one-year deal with the option for a further season.[52] The following 18 May, he declared that he had tested positive for COVID-19 for 60 days.[53]
Cagliari
Cáceres moved to Cagliari on a one-year contract on 1 September 2021, where he shared teams with national teammates Diego Godín and Nahitan Nández.[54][55] He scored his only goal for the Sardinians on 17 October, the second in a 3–1 home victory over Sampdoria.[56]
Levante
Cáceres returned to the Spanish top tier on 30 January 2022, with the free agent agreeing to a one-year deal at Levante with the possibility of a one-year extension.[57] Nine of his appearances were starts, in an eventual relegation; the same happened to his previous side, Cagliari.[58]
Cáceres scored his first international goal on 23 June 2011, in a 3–0 friendly home win over Estonia.[69] With Fucile not being selected to the 2011 Copa América in Argentina, he played five out of six games during the tournament – as right and left back – with the Charrúas winning their 15th continental tournament.[70][71][72] He notably scored the decisive penalty in a penalty shootout victory over the hosts in the quarter-finals.[73]
Cáceres made four appearances for Uruguay in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the third-place match against Italy, his penalty was saved by Juventus teammate Gianluigi Buffon as the opposition won the shootout by 3–2 after a 2–2 deadlock following extra time.[74] He was also a member of the squad that took part at the 2014 World Cup,[75] featuring four times in the tournament to help the nation reach the last-16 phase, where they suffered a 2–0 defeat to Colombia at the Maracanã Stadium on 28 June.[76]
Due to an ankle injury suffered in March 2015, Cáceres was excluded from the 2015 Copa América squad.[77] A serious Achilles tendon ailment in February 2016 also prevented his participation in the Copa América Centenario the following summer.[78]
Cáceres was included in Uruguay's final 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[79] He played all the matches and minutes in a quarter-final exit.[80]
In March 2019, Tabárez named Cáceres in the squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil.[81] On 16 June, he provided the assist to Luis Suárez's goal in a 4–0 win over Ecuador in the team's opening group match of the tournament.[82] He appeared four times in total throughout the tournament, including the quarter-final tie against Peru in which his team were eliminated from the competition after losing 5–4 on penalties, following a 0–0 draw after regulation time.[83]
Cáceres's primary position is that of a central defender, but he can also operate as a left or right-back, being noted for his pace, strength, tackling and aerial ability.[86] He has also been deployed as a wing-back or winger, on either side of the pitch.[87][88][89]
During his time with Juventus, Cáceres' tenacious approach drew comparisons to compatriot Montero, who also played there.[90]