Júlio Baptista
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Julio Clement Baptista | ||
| Height | 1.83m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder; striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Arsenal | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:46, 25 November 2006 (UTC) | |||
Julio Baptista (born 1 October 1981 in São Paulo) is a football player from Brazil. Nicknamed la Bestia (the Beast) or the Tank, he plays as an attacking midfielder for Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid.
Clubs
Early career
Referred to as the "Beast of Sevilla" and even as the "Brazilian Steven Gerrard" [1], Júlio Baptista began his professional career in 2000 with São Paulo F.C., before moving to Spanish club Sevilla FC in 2003. Between 2003 and 2005 he made 63 appearances and scored 38 goals for Sevilla. He is also known for his body-builder like stature. He is extremely powerful.
Real Madrid
On 29 July 2005, he signed a 5-year, €20 million (£13 million) deal with Real Madrid after a month of heated bidding from English Premier League clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. During the bidding, Baptista frequently cited his desire to remain in Spain at least through 2005 in order to qualify for a European passport which would provide him great flexibility in moving about the continent.
At the end of August 2006, with the transfer window about to close, press reports linked him with a move to either Tottenham Hotspur or Arsenal, with the latter possibly as part of a swap deal including José Antonio Reyes. Baptista himself had strenuously claimed that he was not interested in a move away from Real Madrid.
However, on 31 August 2006, the day of the transfer deadline, Baptista moved to Arsenal in exchange for José Antonio Reyes. Rumours suggested that the deal involved the two players swapping clubs on 12 month loan deals, however Arsenal formally announced on their official website that they had signed Baptista on a permanent deal, with an undisclosed fee.[2].
Arsenal
Baptista received the number 9 jersey at Arsenal[3], and made his debut for the club on 9 September 2006, coming on as a substitute against Middlesbrough. Baptista scored his first goal for Arsenal ( a bullet header ) against Hamburg SV on 21 November 2006. Baptista started his first Premiership game up front for Arsenal on December 30th 2006 in the 1-0 defeat away to Sheffield United. The Beast scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal at Anfield in their League Cup Quarter-Final victory against Liverpool on January 9 2007, where he scored four overall in a 6-3 win for Arsenal, despite missing a penalty; it was the first time an Arsenal player had scored more than three in a League Cup tie.
National team
He has 20 caps with the Brazil national team, but has not scored any goals. His first cap came on 4 June 2001 against Japan in the Confederations Cup in Ibaraki, Japan (0-0 draw).
Honours
- Winner of São Paulo State championship in 2000 with São Paulo Futebol Clube
- Winner of São Paulo Cup (under 20s) in 2000 with São Paulo Futebol Clube
- Winner Rio–São Paulo Tournament in 2001 with São Paulo Futebol Clube
- Winner of São Paulo State Super-championship in 2002 with São Paulo Futebol Clube
- Winner of Copa América in 2004 with the Brazil national team
- Winner of Confederations Cup in 2005 with the Brazil national team
Quotes
"I have known him a long time and he is a great player. It will be easy for him to settle because his game is totally suited to the Premiership. I don't see why he can't become one of the stars of the season." —Ronaldinho[4]
"Technically, he brings the quality of a Brazilian player but he also brings his personality: he is very strong, very strong-willed. He is a winner, He can defend, he can attack and he can score goals and this is very important." —Dunga[5]
"Júlio Baptista will be a great addition to our squad, He is a powerful young international and is a versatile footballer who can operate both in midfield and as a striker. He has shown his potential over the past few seasons in Spain with both Real Madrid and Sevilla and we are looking forward to him joining us." —Arsène Wenger[6]
External links
- Arsenal.com profile
- Júlio Baptista at Soccerbase
- Confirmation of Júlio Baptista joining Arsenal
- Júlio Baptista player information, honours, detailed career stats and timeline
- Baptista's Profile at FootyMania.com
- Baptista's football boots
References
- ^ "Wenger has last word". http://www.telegraph.co.uk.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ "Baptista moves to Arsenal as Reyes joins Real Madrid". Arsenal.com.
- ^ "Gallas and Baptista receive their new shirts". Arsenal.com.
- ^ "Ronaldinho sends warning to Wales". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Baptista ready to commit future to Gunners". Yahoo Sports.
- ^ "Baptista moves to Arsenal as Reyes joins Real Madrid". Arsenal.com.