From the trajectory of British capoeirista Simon Atkinson, the article explores the appropriation of the practice of capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art form, from the perspective of a “native” practitioner. Result of a doctoral research completed in 2013, the article demonstrates the characteristics, obstacles and mechanisms employed by a non-Brazilian to ensure its legitimacy in this market. This approach seeks to privilege the actors in the formation of a “transnational social field”, in this case, associated with the practice of capoeira. The leader of the East London Capoeira group is probably the first British practitioner of capoeira Angola to have become recognized as a mestre of this modality of capoeira that claims to be the “more traditional.” He is possibly the first European to have become mestre of capoeira Angola. Beyond this process, there are problems related to the legitimacy and authenticity of non-Brazilian practitioners. The narrative of mestre Fantasma reveals the tensions and power relations within the practice of capoeira in Europe, a market dominated by Brazilians for which capoeira is often the only income. The relocation of capoeira is therefore analyzed from the perspective of the local practitioner who appropriates and translates it to its context.