Mestre Soldado

Carlos Roberto dos Anjos Nogueira, known as Mestre Soldado, was born in 1953 in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. In 1963, at just 10 years old, he began training capoeira in Rio de Janeiro at a branch of the Bonfim group located in the Manguinhos neighborhood, under instructors Roberto Jacaré and Carlinhos.

At the age of 18 (circa 1971), Soldado transitioned to training at the main Bonfim headquarters in the Bonsucesso neighborhood, where he studied directly under Mestres Deraldo and Zé Grande—the latter serving as president of the Bonfim group after founder Mário Buscapé returned to Bahia in 1969.

His apelido "Soldado" (soldier) came from his military service, which he completed at the Preparatory Centre for Reserve Officers (CPOR).

In 1973, Soldado graduated from Mestre Deraldo and immediately began teaching for the Bonfim group. He established the Santa Barbara núcleo in the Bandeira 2 community of Del Castilho, where he taught until 1980, during which time he earned the white/yellow master belt.

Soldado proved to be an exceptional competitor in capoeira championships. In 1974, he was interclub team champion; in 1975, he won the Carioca (Rio state) team championship; and in 1976, he became individual Brazilian champion in the middleweight category. Remarkably, decades later in 2019, at over 65 years old, he returned to competition and won the Rio championship in the masters category (over 65, middleweight).

In 1992, Bonfim founder Mestre Mário Buscapé awarded Soldado the white/blue belt. This recognition came the same year Soldado undertook a major educational initiative: a UNESCO-sponsored project teaching capoeira in sixty CIEPs (Integrated Centers of Public Education) across the state of Rio de Janeiro—one of the largest capoeira educational projects of its era.

From 1993, Soldado also began teaching beach football at the Vasco da Gama núcleo on Copacabana beach, diversifying his sports instruction work.

In 2012, Mestre Mário Buscapé elevated Soldado to the white belt—the highest rank in the Bonfim graduation system. This final promotion came just nine years before Mário Buscapé's death in 2021.

Soldado has contributed significantly to the documentation of capoeira history in Rio de Janeiro. He serves as one of the consultants who helped draft entries for the Masters A-Z section on capoeirahistory.com, alongside M Bebeto, André Lacé, and Paulão.

Beyond his teaching and competition achievements, Soldado holds institutional roles in capoeira governance: he serves as Superior Master Advisor of the Fluminense Capoeira Federation (FFC) and as Press Officer of the Capoeira Masters Order of Brazil (OMCB).