Julio Cruz (Argentine footballer) facts for kids
Julio Cruz with Lazio in 2009
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Julio Ricardo Cruz | ||
| Date of birth | 10 October 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Santiago del Estero, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1993 | Banfield | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1996 | Banfield | 65 | (16) |
| 1996–1997 | River Plate | 29 | (17) |
| 1997–2000 | Feyenoord | 86 | (45) |
| 2000–2003 | Bologna | 88 | (27) |
| 2003–2009 | Inter Milan | 125 | (49) |
| 2009–2010 | Lazio | 25 | (4) |
| Total | 417 | (153) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–2008 | Argentina | 22 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Julio Ricardo Cruz (born on October 10, 1974) is a former footballer from Argentina. He played for different clubs in Argentina, the Netherlands, and Italy. He stopped playing football in 2010.
Julio Cruz spent the longest part of his career with Inter Milan. There, he helped his team win four Serie A titles in a row, along with other important awards. He was a tall and strong player, known for being good at heading the ball. He usually played as a striker, which is a player who scores goals. Sometimes, he also played as a winger (on the side of the field) or an attacking midfielder (in the middle, helping attacks). In 2015, he started his own charity called the Julio Cruz Foundation.
Cruz also played for the Argentina national team 22 times. He scored three goals for his country. He played for Argentina in the 1997 Copa América and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Journey
Julio Cruz was a tall and strong striker. He began his football career with Banfield in Argentina in 1993. In 1996, he moved to another big Argentine club, River Plate.
Playing in Europe: Feyenoord
In 1997, Cruz moved to Europe to play for the Dutch club Feyenoord. He had a great season in 1998–99, scoring fifteen goals. He helped Feyenoord win the Eredivisie title, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. In 2000, he moved to Italy to join Bologna.
Time at Bologna
At Bologna, Julio Cruz often played as the main striker. Even though some fans and media sometimes criticized him for not scoring enough goals, he was very good at holding the ball. This helped his teammates join the attack and create scoring chances. In the 2001–02 season, he played a key role in Bologna finishing seventh in Serie A. He scored ten goals that season and earned respect for his smart and passionate playing style.
Success with Inter Milan
In 2003, Cruz left Bologna and signed with Inter Milan, one of Italy's biggest clubs. He wore the number 9 jersey. His first game for Inter was on September 14, 2003, against Siena, which Inter won 1–0. Just three days later, he scored his first goal for Inter. This happened in a UEFA Champions League match against Arsenal at Highbury, where Inter won 3–0. He continued to play well, even scoring two important goals against Juventus in a 3–1 away win.
At Inter, Cruz was often used as a substitute player. He would come into the game when the main strikers needed a rest or were injured. Even so, he scored 12 league goals in his first two seasons. In a Champions League game against Porto in 2005, he scored two goals in just 30 minutes after coming on as a substitute. This helped Inter turn a 0–1 score into a 2–1 victory.
In February 2006, Cruz extended his contract with Inter until 2008. He finished the 2005–06 season as Inter's top scorer with 21 goals, including 15 in Serie A. He also scored a goal in the 2006 Coppa Italia Final return match, which Inter won 3–1 against Roma. He signed another new contract in September 2007.
Final Club: Lazio
On July 31, 2009, Julio Cruz left Inter and joined Lazio. He signed a two-year contract. His first game for Lazio was on August 8, 2009, in the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana against his former club, Inter. He came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute. Lazio won the match 2–1 in Beijing, China, giving Cruz his first trophy with Lazio.
He played his first game as a starter 12 days later. This was also his first European game with Lazio. He played the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 home win against IF Elfsborg in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.
At the end of the 2009–10 season, Cruz's contract with Lazio ended because he was dealing with an injury. He officially announced his retirement from football on September 7, 2010. He had received offers from other clubs like Napoli, but he decided to stop playing.
International Career
Julio Cruz played for the Argentina national team 22 times and scored three goals. He was part of the Argentina squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In that tournament, he came on as a substitute in matches against the Netherlands and Germany. He even scored the first penalty in the penalty shootout against Germany, but Argentina lost that match.
International Goals
Here are the goals Julio Cruz scored for Argentina:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9 June 1999 | Soldier Field, Chicago, United States |  Mexico |
2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 2. | 13 February 2002 | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |  Wales |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3. | 16 November 2005 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Qatar |
0–2 | 0–3 | Friendly |
His Nickname: "The Gardener"
Julio Cruz's nickname is "El Jardinero", which means "The Gardener" in Spanish. He got this nickname when he was young. In 1993, he was working as a groundskeeper at his local team, Banfield. One day, the coach, Oscar López, needed an extra player for a practice match. Julio stepped in, and the coach quickly saw his talent. He was then promoted to the main team, and the nickname stuck!
He was also sometimes called "Poncharello" by a TV commentator. This was because he looked a bit like a character from an old TV show called CHiPs.
Awards and Trophies
Julio Cruz won many important trophies during his career:
River Plate
- Argentine Primera: 1996, 1997
Feyenoord
- Eredivisie: 1998–99
- Johan Cruijff Shield: 1999
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006, 2008
Lazio
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2009
Individual Awards
- Coppa Italia Top-scorer: 2007–08
See also
In Spanish: Julio Cruz para niños
