Ulises de la Cruz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ulises de la Cruz
Member of the National Assembly for Carchi Province
In office 14 May 2013 – 14 May 2017
Personal details
Born	(1974-02-08) 8 February 1974 (age 51) Piquiucho, Carchi, Ecuador
Political party	PAIS Alliance
Occupation	Footballer (retired) politician
Ulises de la Cruz Personal information Height 1.76 m Playing position Defender Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1991–1994 Deportivo Quito 86 (6) 1995–1997 Barcelona S.C. 14 (0) 1996 → Aucas (loan) 32 (3) 1997 → LDU Quito (loan) 38 (4) 1998–2001 LDU Quito 91 (16) 1999 → Cruzeiro (loan) 4 (0) 2001 → Barcelona S.C. (loan) 8 (0) 2001–2002 Hibernian 32 (2) 2002–2006 Aston Villa 89 (1) 2006–2008 Reading 15 (1) 2009 Birmingham City 1 (0) 2009–2012 LDU Quito 117 (14) Total 527 (47) National team 1995–2010 Ecuador 101 (6) Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ulises Hernán de la Cruz Bernardo (born on February 8, 1974) is a former football player from Ecuador. After his football career, he became a politician. Since 2013, he has been a member of Ecuador's National Assembly. He represents the PAIS Alliance political party.

Ulises de la Cruz played as a defender. He played 101 games for the Ecuador national team between 1995 and 2010. He was chosen to play in two FIFA World Cup tournaments. During his club career, he played for several teams. These included Deportivo Quito, Barcelona S.C., Aucas, Cruzeiro, Hibernian, Aston Villa, Reading, and Birmingham City.

Ulises de la Cruz also started a charity called Friends of FundeCruz. This charity helps his home village by funding different projects for the local community.

Ulises de la Cruz: His Football Journey

Starting His Football Career

Ulises de la Cruz was born in Piquiucho, a village in Carchi, Ecuador. He started playing football at age 16 for the Ecuadorian team Deportivo Quito. He played in their junior division first, then moved to the professional team. His big break came in 1998 with LDU Quito. He scored three goals in a final match, helping his team win 7–0.

Playing for Hibernian in Scotland

In June 2001, Alex McLeish, the manager of Scottish Premier League club Hibernian, signed Ulises de la Cruz. Hibernian paid £700,000 for him, which was a record amount for the club at that time. Ulises de la Cruz scored two goals for Hibs. Both goals were in a special match called the Edinburgh derby against their local rivals, Hearts. He only played for Hibs for one season. After playing in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he was sold. He had hoped to move to a team in Spain or Italy after the World Cup.

Time with Aston Villa

Graham Taylor signed Ulises de la Cruz for Aston Villa before the 2002–03 season. Ulises de la Cruz was very happy to join Aston Villa. He felt it was one of the best moments of his career. There was a small issue with LDU Quito saying Hibernian owed them money from the transfer, but this was sorted out. When he first played for Aston Villa, he was excited to be in the Premier League. He quickly became a favorite among the fans.

In his first season, he played 24 games and scored one goal against Charlton Athletic. He played even more in the 2003–04 season. This was after David O'Leary became the new manager. An injury to another player, Mark Delaney, also meant Ulises de la Cruz got to start more games. He signed a new contract for the 2004–05 season.

During his third season with Aston Villa, Ulises de la Cruz was not happy because he wasn't playing much. He felt that manager O'Leary was stopping him from moving to other teams.

Joining Reading F.C.

On August 25, 2006, Ulises de la Cruz joined Reading on a free transfer. This meant Reading did not have to pay a fee to another club for him. He signed a one-year deal. Ulises de la Cruz scored his first goal for Reading on January 20, 2007. It was in a 3–1 win against Sheffield United. After a good first season, he was offered a new contract for two more years at the Madejski Stadium, Reading's home ground. However, after Reading was moved down from the Premier League, the club announced on May 16, 2008, that they would not offer him a new contract.

A Short Spell at Birmingham City

After training with the club for a few weeks, Ulises de la Cruz signed a one-month contract with Birmingham City in March 2009. This team played in the Football League Championship. He played his first game for Birmingham as a substitute on March 14. It was a 2–0 win against Doncaster Rovers. When his contract ended, he decided not to accept an offer to stay until the end of the season.

Back to LDU Quito

After leaving Birmingham City, Ulises de la Cruz went back to Ecuador. He rejoined LDU Quito, which was his third time playing for the club. At that time, LDU Quito had recently been the runner-up in the FIFA World Club Cup. Ulises de la Cruz played in two matches for the 2009 Recopa Sudamericana against Internacional. LDU Quito won the Recopa, which was Ulises de la Cruz's first international title with a club.

Hanging Up His Boots: Retirement

In February 2013, Ulises de la Cruz announced that he would stop playing football. He wanted to spend all his time on politics in Ecuador. He was given a special farewell match to celebrate his career.

Playing for Ecuador: National Team

Even when he wasn't always playing for his club team, Ulises de la Cruz was still a very important player for the Ecuador national team. He played 101 games for his country between May 1995 and May 2010. He was a key player for Ecuador in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where the team reached the second round.

In Ecuador, Ulises de la Cruz is one of the most loved players. People admire him for his football skills and for his charity work. The Supporters' Trust at Reading (STAR) even helped fans donate money to the Ulises de la Cruz Foundation.

Ecuador had a difficult start in the qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup. Ulises de la Cruz and his teammate, Ivan Hurtado, openly criticized the coach and the team's atmosphere. Because of this, they were not chosen to play in the last two matches of 2007.

Helping Others: Charitable Work

Ulises de la Cruz was born in Piquiucho, a small village in the Valle del Chota. This is one of the poorest areas in Ecuador. He started a charity called Friends of FundeCruz to help his local community. He gives about 10% of his salary to this charity. Friends of FundeCruz is also a registered charity in Britain. At one of the Reading football matches, fans were asked to donate money to his fund, and they raised thousands of pounds. Money was also raised at an event called Ruta del Sol in February 2008.

His foundation helps pay for important things like:

• A water treatment plant
• A health center
• A sports ground

Ulises de la Cruz has also been named an ambassador for UNICEF.

Political Career

In the Ecuadorian general election of 2013, Ulises de la Cruz was elected as a member of the National Assembly. He represents Carchi Province. Ulises de la Cruz is a member of the PAIS Alliance political party. Two of his former teammates from the national football team, Agustín Delgado and Iván Hurtado, also serve in the National Assembly for the PAIS Alliance.

Honors

LDU Quito

• Serie A: 1998, 1999, 2010
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2009, 2010
• Copa Sudamericana: 2009

Ecuador

• Canada Cup: 1999

See also

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps