Júlio Baptista facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Júlio Baptista

Baptista in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Júlio César Clemente Pereira Baptista
Date of birth	(1981-10-01) 1 October 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.86 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder / Forward
Youth career
	São Paulo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2003	São Paulo	75	(10)
2003–2005	Sevilla	63	(38)
2005–2008	Real Madrid	59	(11)
2006–2007	→ Arsenal (loan)	24	(3)
2008–2011	Roma	57	(12)
2011–2013	Málaga	29	(14)
2013–2015	Cruzeiro	36	(12)
2016	Orlando City	23	(6)
2018–2019	CFR Cluj	2	(0)
Total		368	(106)
National team
2003	Brazil U23	5	(3)
2001–2010	Brazil	47	(5)
Teams managed
2019–2021	Valladolid (youth)
2021–2023	Valladolid B
Honours Representing  Brazil FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2005 Germany Winner 2009 South Africa Copa América Winner 2004 Peru Winner 2007 Venezuela
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Júlio César Clemente Pereira Baptista, born on October 1, 1981, is a famous Brazilian football player and now a manager. He used to play as an attacking midfielder or a forward.

People called Júlio 'The Beast' because he was big and strong on the field. He also got the nickname 'Hulio' from his former teammate Joaquín. Júlio started his career as a defensive midfielder. After playing very well for his hometown team, São Paulo FC, he joined Sevilla FC in 2003.

At Sevilla, he changed his position to a forward. He scored 50 goals in just two seasons! This amazing performance led to him joining the Spanish giant team, Real Madrid, in 2005. After playing for Real Madrid and having a loan spell at Arsenal, Júlio moved to Roma in Italy. Later, he returned to Spain with Málaga and then went back to Brazil to play for Cruzeiro.

Júlio Baptista's Club Career

Playing for Sevilla

On August 3, 2003, Sevilla FC welcomed Júlio Baptista as their new player. He cost the Spanish club about £1.75 million. Júlio was confident he would do well in Spain. He wore the No.19 jersey and played as an attacking midfielder.

Júlio quickly settled in, scoring two goals in Sevilla's 4–0 win against Racing de Santander. As the season went on, he kept playing well. He scored two goals against Levante UD and four goals against Racing de Santander in a 5–2 home win.

His great form caught the eye of many big clubs. Even though Arsenal was interested, Júlio stayed at Sevilla for another season. He continued to show his skill, scoring 25 goals in all games.

Between 2003 and 2005, Júlio played 81 games for Sevilla and scored 50 goals. Because of all these goals, many teams wanted to sign him. Real Madrid and Arsenal both tried to get him.

Time at Real Madrid

On July 25, 2005, Real Madrid announced they had signed Júlio Baptista. He cost them about £13.8 million. Júlio signed a five-year contract. He said he chose to stay in Spain to get dual citizenship (Spanish and Brazilian). This would let him travel easily in Europe. He also said he did not want to move to England at that time. At Real Madrid, he got the No.8 jersey.

The season looked very promising for Real Madrid. They had signed other big players like Robinho and Sergio Ramos. Many thought Real Madrid would finally win a trophy. However, this did not happen. At Real, Júlio often played out of his usual position, sometimes as a left-winger. This was to make space for players like Zinedine Zidane and Guti. Because of this, he could not play as well as he did before. He only scored eight league goals in the 2006 season. Real Madrid ended the season without a trophy again.

Júlio said that Arsenal was still trying to sign him. But he wanted to finish his contract with Real Madrid.

Baptista playing for Arsenal in 2007

In August 2006, close to the end of the transfer window, news reports linked him to Tottenham Hotspur or Arsenal. Arsenal was part of a possible player swap deal with José Antonio Reyes. Júlio strongly said he did not want to leave Real Madrid. But on August 31, 2006, Júlio moved to Arsenal. This was a 12-month loan deal, with Reyes going to Real Madrid. Júlio scored his first goal for Arsenal in the Champions League against Hamburg on November 21, 2006.

Júlio found it hard to score in the Premier League, getting only three goals in 24 league games. However, he scored many goals in the League Cup. He scored six goals in this competition. This included a club record four goals in Arsenal's 6–3 win against Liverpool on January 9, 2007. In that game, he also missed a penalty kick. He missed two more penalties that season against Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth. Júlio also scored twice in Arsenal's semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal lost 2–1 to Chelsea in the final.

In total, Júlio scored 10 goals in 35 games for Arsenal.

At the end of the 2006–07 season, Arsenal no longer needed him, and he went back to Real Madrid. When Bernd Schuster became the new coach, Júlio played much more. He also played in his favorite central position.

Júlio scored the first goal in a 3–0 win that knocked Lazio out of the Champions League. He then scored a great goal against rivals Barcelona in the El Clásico match. Júlio's goal was very important in a game that Real Madrid won 1–0. This was only the second time Real Madrid had beaten Barcelona in the league at the Camp Nou in 24 years.

During that season, Júlio continued to play well. Many people praised his good performances. Real Madrid eventually won the La Liga title that season, and Júlio earned a winner's medal.

Joining Roma

Roma signed Júlio Baptista from Real Madrid on August 14. The Serie A club said he cost €9 million plus bonuses. He signed a four-year deal.

Júlio played his first game for Roma in the Supercoppa Italiana on August 24, 2008. His team lost to Inter Milan after a penalty shootout. Júlio scored his penalty kick. On October 1, 2008, he scored his first Champions League goals for Roma. He scored two goals against Bordeaux, helping his team win 3–1. Júlio scored Roma's winning goal in his first Rome derby against Lazio.

In the Champions League, Roma played against Júlio's former club, Arsenal. He played in both games, first at the Emirates Stadium and then at the Stadio Olimpico. In the second game, Júlio came on early because of an injury to Roma's goalscorer Juan. Júlio had chances to give Roma the lead they needed to go to the next round. He missed a big chance in the 79th minute. Roma lost 7–6 in the penalty shootout.

Moving to Málaga

On January 3, 2011, Málaga CF announced they had signed Júlio Baptista. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. On January 14, 2011, Roma said the transfer fee was €2.5 million. He played his first game for Málaga on January 16, 2011, in a 4–1 loss at Barcelona. Six days later, he scored his first goal in a 4–3 loss at Valencia CF.

Júlio got injured during a match between Málaga and Getafe CF. He had surgery in Brazil a few days later. He returned to play on April 16, 2011. He scored two goals in a 3–0 home win over RCD Mallorca. This win helped the team move out of the relegation zone.

On October 1, 2011, his 30th birthday, Júlio scored a late winning goal against Getafe. He scored with an amazing overhead kick in a 3–2 win. However, he injured his right leg during the match. At first, it seemed minor, but he needed surgery. This kept him out of action for the rest of the year. On March 6, 2012, it was announced that Júlio might miss the rest of the season. He traveled to Brazil to recover. He came back to play on February 3, 2013, as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Real Zaragoza. Júlio scored his first goal since his return on March 30. He scored the winning goal in Malaga's 3–1 win over Rayo Vallecano. This result pushed the team into fourth place in La Liga.

On July 24, 2013, Málaga CF ended his contract.

Back to Brazil with Cruzeiro

On July 24, 2013, Júlio Baptista signed with the Brazilian club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube. He joined famous players like Dedé and Fábio. He reportedly signed a two-year contract.

On July 28, 2013, Júlio arrived at the Mineirão Stadium in a special car. He was introduced to the fans during the club's 4–1 win against rivals Atlético Mineiro. After his introduction, Júlio did not say when he would play his first game. He said it depended on paperwork and the coach, Marcelo Oliveira.

Coach Marcelo Oliveira praised Júlio for working hard to get back in shape. Oliveira said Júlio would play as a playmaker, like he did for Sevilla. He believed this was Júlio's best position.

Playing for Orlando City

On March 23, 2016, Orlando City SC announced they had signed Júlio Baptista. He played his first Major League Soccer game on April 8 as a substitute against Philadelphia Union. He scored his first goal in the league on May 29 against New York City FC. His contract with the club ended on November 23, 2016, making him a free agent.

Final Club: CFR Cluj

On August 18, 2018, Júlio Baptista signed with Romanian champions CFR Cluj. Eight days later, he played his first game in a 0–0 draw against Gaz Metan Mediaș. He came on as a substitute in the 70th minute.

Júlio became a topic of discussion in Romania. He only played 43 minutes for CFR in 2018. This meant he was one of the highest-paid players per minute played.

He announced he was retiring from football on May 23, 2019.

Júlio Baptista's International Career

Júlio Baptista played 47 games for the Brazil national team and scored five goals. His first game was on June 4, 2001, in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, a 0–0 draw against Japan. He also played a small part in the 2005 tournament.

Because Júlio often played out of position at Real Madrid, his performance dropped. He was not chosen for the 2006 World Cup team. However, Júlio was called back to the Brazil squad for the 2007 Copa América. He scored the first goal in Brazil's 3–0 win over Argentina in the final on July 15, 2007. Júlio scored three goals in that competition. He later played in the 2010 World Cup for Brazil under coach Dunga.

Júlio Baptista's Coaching Career

On June 27, 2019, Júlio Baptista became the manager of the youth team for Real Valladolid. This club is owned by his former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo. On July 8, 2021, he took over the club's reserve team.

Career Statistics

Club Performance

Here are Júlio Baptista's statistics for the clubs he played for:

International Goals

Here are the goals Júlio Baptista scored for the Brazil national team:

Scores and results table. Brazil's goal tally first:

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 July 2007	Estadio Olímpico Luis Ramos, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela	Chile	2–0	6–1	2007 Copa América
2	10 July 2007	Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Uruguay	2–1	2–2 (aet), 5–4 (pen.)	2007 Copa América
3	15 July 2007	Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Argentina	1–0	3–0	2007 Copa América
4	28 March 2009	Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador	Ecuador	1–0	1–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	9 September 2009	Estádio de Pituaçu, Salvador, Brazil	Chile	2–0	4–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Júlio Baptista's Honours

Júlio Baptista won many awards and titles during his career:

With São Paulo

• Campeonato Paulista: 2000
• Torneio Rio – São Paulo: 2001

With Arsenal

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2006–07

With Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2007–08

With Cruzeiro

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2013, 2014
• Campeonato Mineiro: 2014

With CFR Cluj

• Liga I: 2018–19

With Brazil Youth Team

• South American U-20 Championship: 2001

With Brazil National Team

• Copa América: 2004, 2007
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005, 2009

Individual Awards

• La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2004

Images for kids

• 

  Baptista playing for Arsenal in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Júlio Baptista para niños