Júlio Baptista

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Júlio Baptista

Personal information
Full name	Júlio César Baptista
Date of birth	October 1, 1981 (1981-10-01) (age 27)
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Roma
Number	19
Senior career1
Years	Club	Apps (Gls)2
2000–2003	São Paulo	074 (10)
2003–2005	Sevilla	062 (39)
2005–2008	Real Madrid	058 (11)
2006–2007	→ Arsenal (loan)	024 0(3)
2008–	Roma	027 0(9)
National team3
2003	Brazil U-23	005 0(3)
2001–	Brazil	041 0(4)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of April 20, 2009. 2 Appearances (Goals). 3 National team caps and goals correct as of June 29, 2009

Júlio César Baptista (born 1 October 1981 in São Paulo), commonly known as Júlio Baptista, is a Brazilian footballer, currently playing for Roma as an attacking midfielder. Baptista is often nicknamed The Beast or The Tank, due to his impressive physique.

Contents 1 Club career 1.1 Early career 1.2 Sevilla 1.3 Real Madrid 1.4 Arsenal 1.5 Return to Real Madrid 1.6 Roma 2 International career 3 Honours 4 Career statistics 4.1 International statistics 5 Quotes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career

Baptista began his professional career in 2000 as a defensive midfielder with São Paulo In total he made 73 appearances scoring 10 goals as a defensive midfielder.

[edit] Sevilla

On August 6, 2003, Sevilla unveiled Baptista to be their newest signing. He cost the Spanish club £1.75 million. Baptista made it clear he was confident that he will succeed in Spain,^[1] donning the number 19 jersey Baptista began operating as an attacking midfielder. Baptista settled in quickly and was being touted as the signing of the season. His form attracted the attention of several big name clubs, but despite interest from English giants Arsenal, Baptista remained at Sevilla for the following season, in which he once more showed his worth registering 25 goals in all competitions.^[2]

Between 2003 and 2005, Baptista made 81 appearances (in all competitions) for Sevilla and scored 50 goals in total, a terrific return that began a summer of transfer rumours in which Real Madrid battled it out with Arsenal for his signature.

[edit] Real Madrid

On July 25, 2005, Real Madrid confirmed the signing of the long-time Arsenal target.^[3] Baptista opted to remain in Spain for at least a further year, by transferring to Real Madrid to gain Spanish citizenship, which would enable him to travel across Europe freely. He also explained he did not want to move to England at this time.^[4] Upon his arrival at Real Madrid, Baptista was awarded the number 8 jersey.

The season looked very promising for Real Madrid, the big money signings of Robinho from Santos and Baptista and Sergio Ramos from Sevilla meant that Real Madrid were tipped to end their trophy drought, however it was not to be. At Real Madrid, Baptista was often played out of position as a left-winger to accommodate the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Guti in the Spanish side's attacking line-up. For this reason, he was unable to find the form that led many of Europe's top clubs to sign him. He managed to score just eight league goals throughout the 2006 league campaign. The season ended in disappointment as Real Madrid yet again ended the season without a trophy.

Baptista insisted that Arsenal were still in pursuit of him, but he made it clear he wanted to fulfil his contract with Real Madrid.^[5]

[edit] Arsenal

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 August 31, 2006, the day of the transfer deadline, Baptista moved to Arsenal in exchange for José Antonio Reyes, the deal involved the two players swapping clubs on 12 month loan deals.^[6]

Baptista struggled to score in the Premier League, managing just three goals in 24 league matches. However, Baptista found scoring form in the League Cup, with six goals in the competition, including a club record four goals in Arsenal's quarter-final victory against Liverpool on January 9, 2007, in a 6–3 win for Arsenal; beside his four goals, he also missed a penalty kick. Baptista also scored twice in Arsenal's semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur (having also scored an own goal at the other end), but they lost 2–1 to Chelsea in the final.

Baptista made it known he wanted to make his tenure at Arsenal a permanent one.^[7] However, Arsené Wenger decided against making his loan a permanent one after Real Madrid rejected the chance to sign José Antonio Reyes.

In total, Baptista scored 10 goals in 35 appearances for Arsenal.

[edit] Return to Real Madrid

At the end of the 2006–07 season, he was no longer required by Arsenal and returned to Real Madrid, as the loan deal finished. After the appointment of Bernd Schuster as head coach of Madrid, Baptista played far more often and in the position he prefers to play in.

Baptista scored his first Champions League goal of the season against Lazio. Baptista then preceded to score his second league goal of the campaign, bagging a magnificent first half goal off a one-two pass from Ruud van Nistelrooy in El Clasico against Barcelona. His goal proved to be vital as it was the only goal in a game that finished 1–0. This was only the second time Real Madrid had beaten rivals Barcelona at the Camp Nou in 24 years.

During the season, Baptista continued his good form. This led to many praising his good performances as he continued to keep Guti on the bench.^[8] However, towards the end of the campaign, he lost his place in the squad, leading to another summer of speculation regarding his future.

[edit] Roma

Roma ended their search for another forward on Thursday, August 14, when they signed Baptista from Real Madrid. The Serie A club said in a statement that the 26-year-old had cost an initial nine million euros (£7.1 million) and had penned a four-year deal.^[9]

Baptista made his debut for Roma in the Supercoppa Italiana on August 25, 2008, but lost to Inter on penalties. Baptista converted his penalty kick. On October 1, 2008, he scored his first Champions League goals for the club, after scoring a double against Bordeaux to give a 3–1 victory to his side. Baptista scored Roma's winning goal in the his first Roma derby against Lazio.

In the Champions League, Roma drew Baptista's former club Arsenal. He played in both games, the first at the Emirates Stadium, a ground he use to call home and the return leg at the Stadio Olimpico. In both games, Baptista didn't have the best of games, him and Francesco Totti both struggled at the Emirates in a 1–0 defeat. In the return leg, Baptista came on as an early substitute, following the early injury to Roma's goalscorer Juan. Baptista had a couple of chances to give Roma the 2 goal advantage that would have sent them through to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League, most notably a chance in the 79th minute, where he missed from 10 yards out with just Manuel Almunia to beat. Roma lost 7–6 in the ensuing penalty shootout.

[edit] International career

Baptista has 39 caps (excluding unofficial caps) with Brazil, and has netted 4 goals.^[10] His first cap came on June 4, 2001 in a 0–0 draw against Japan in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, and he also played a limited part in the 2005 edition.

As Baptista was often played out of position at Real Madrid, his form dipped and hence, he was not included on the 2006 World Cup roster. However, Baptista was re-called to the Brazil squad for the Copa América 2007 and scored the opening goal in Brazil's 3–0 victory over Argentina in the final on July 15, 2007. Baptista ended the competition with 3 goals. He has since found himself more of a regular fixture in the Brazil line up, thanks to his performance at the Copa America.

[edit] Honours

São Paulo

• Campeonato Paulista: 2000
• São Paulo Cup (under 20s): 2000
• Rio–São Paulo Tournament: 2002
• São Paulo State Super-Championship: 2002
• Copa América: 2004, 2007

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2008

Brazil

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005, 2009

[edit] Career statistics

(correct as of May 14, 2009)

Club	Season	League		Cup[11]		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
São Paulo	2000	14	0	0	0	-	-	14	0
	2001	24	4	0	0	-	-	24	4
	2002	21	3	0	0	0	0	20	3
	2003	15	3	0	0	0	0	15	3
Sevilla	2003–04	30	20	8	5	-	-	38	25
	2004–05	32	19	4	2	8	5	44	25
Real Madrid	2005–06	32	8	-	-	7	0	39	8
Arsenal (loan)	2006–07	24	3	7	6	4	1	35	10
Real Madrid	2007–08	26	3	1	2	3	5	31	10
Roma	2008–09	27	9	2	0	7	2	36	11
Career totals		245	72					297	99

[edit] International statistics

As of June 28, 2008.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17]}

National team Club Season Apps Goals Brazil São Paulo 2001 2 0 2002 0 0 2003 5 0 Sevilla 2003–2004 6 0 2004–2005 4 0 Real Madrid 2005–2006 2 0 Arsenal 2006–2007 8 3 Real Madrid 2007–2008 9 0 Roma 2008–2009 5 1 Total 41 4

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition 2001 May 26, 2001 Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Verdy 2–0 1 Unofficial friendly 1. June 4, 2001 Ibaraki, Japan  Japan 0–0 0 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup 2. June 4, 2001 Ulsan, South Korea  Australia 0–1 0 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 January 14, 2003 Doha, Qatar  Norway 1–1 0 Friendly (Brazil U-23) January 16, 2003 Doha, Qatar  Czech Republic 2–0 0 Friendly (Brazil U-23) January 20, 2003 Doha, Qatar  Egypt 1–1 0 Friendly (Brazil U-23) January 22, 2003 Doha, Qatar  China PR 3–2 2 Friendly (Brazil U-23) January 24, 2003 Doha, Qatar  Germany 4–2 1 Friendly (Brazil U-23) 3. July 13, 2003 Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico 0–1 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup 4. July 16, 2003 Mexico City, Mexico  Honduras 2–1 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup 5. July 19, 2003 Miami, United States  Colombia 2–0 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup 6. July 23, 2003 Miami, United States  United States 2–1 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup 7. July 27, 2003 Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico 0–1 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2003–2004 8. February 18, 2004 Dublin, Ireland  Republic of Ireland 0–0 0 Friendly 9. April 28, 2004 Budapest, Hungary  Hungary 4–1 0 Friendly 10. May 20, 2004 Saint-Denis, France  France 0–0 0 Friendly May 25, 2004 Barcelona, Spain Catalonia 5–2 2 Unofficial friendly 11. June 2, 2004 Belo Horizonte, Brazil  Argentina 3–1 0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 12. June 6, 2004 Santiago, Chile  Chile 1–1 0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 13. July 21, 2004 Lima, Peru  Uruguay 1–1 0 Copa América 2004 2004–2005 14. September 8, 2004 Berlin, Germany  Germany 1–1 0 Friendly 15. February 9, 2005 Hong Kong, Hong Kong  Hong Kong 7–1 0 Friendly 16. June 22, 2005 Cologne, Germany  Japan 2–2 0 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup 17. June 25, 2005 Nuremberg, Germany  Germany 3–2 0 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup 2005–2006 18. August 17, 2005 Split, Croatia  Croatia 1–1 0 Friendly September 6, 2005 Seville, Spain Sevilla FC 1–1 0 Unofficial friendly 19. October 9, 2005 La Paz, Bolivia  Bolivia 1–1 0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006–2007 20. August 16, 2006 Oslo, Norway  Norway 1–1 0 Friendly 21. September 3, 2006 London, England  Argentina 3–0 0 Friendly 22. September 5, 2006 London, England  Wales 2–0 0 Friendly 23. July 1, 2007 Maturín, Venezuela  Chile 3–0 0 Copa América 2007 24. July 4, 2007 Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela  Ecuador 1–0 0 Copa América 2007 25. July 7, 2007 Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela  Chile 6–1 1 Copa América 2007 26. July 10, 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Uruguay 2–2 1 Copa América 2007 27. July 15, 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Argentina 3–0 1 Copa América 2007 2007–2008 28. August 22, 2007 Montpellier, France  Algeria 2–0 0 Friendly 29. September 9, 2007 Chicago, United States  United States 4–2 0 Friendly 30. September 12, 2007 Boston, United States  Mexico 3–1 0 Friendly 31. October 14, 2007 Bogotá, Colombia  Colombia 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 32. February 6, 2008 Dublin, Ireland  Republic of Ireland 1–0 0 Friendly 33. March 26, 2008 London, England  Sweden 1–0 0 Friendly 34. May 31, 2008 Seattle, United States  Canada 3–2 0 Friendly 35. June 15, 2008 Asunción, Paraguay  Paraguay 0–2 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 36. June 18, 2008 Belo Horizonte, Brazil  Argentina 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2008–2009 37. September 10, 2008 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Bolivia 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 38. February 10, 2009 London, England  Italy 2–0 0 Friendly 39. March 29, 2009 Quito, Ecuador  Ecuador 1–1 1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 40. June 6, 2009 Montevideo, Uruguay  Uruguay 4–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 41. June 18, 2009 Pretoria, South Africa  United States 3–0 0 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

[edit] Quotes

• "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^[18]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Júlio Baptista career stats at Soccerbase
• Júlio Baptista statistics and biography at FootballDatabase.com
• Profile - SambaFoot.com

Brazil squad v • d • e Brazil squad – 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup 1 Dida • 2 Zé Maria • 3 Lúcio • 4 Edmílson • 5 Léomar • 6 Gustavo Nery • 7 Leandro • 8 Vampeta • 9 Sonny Anderson • 10 Robert • 11 Carlos Miguel • 12 Carlos Germano • 13 Evanílson • 14 César Belli • 15 Caçapa • 16 Léo • 17 Vágner • 18 Rochemback • 19 Júlio Baptista • 20 Ramon • 21 Washington • 22 Magno Alves • 23 Fábio Costa • Coach: Leão v • d • e Brazil squad – 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup Runners-up 1 Gomes • 2 Maicon • 3 Luisão • 4 Alex • 5 Adriano • 6 Paulo Almeida • 7 Júlio Baptista • 8 Kaká • 9 Ewerthon • 10 Diego • 11 Robinho • 12 Alexandre Negri • 13 Coelho • 14 André Bahia • 15 Nilmar • 16 Nadson • 17 Carlos Alberto • 18 Thiago Motta • Coach: Ricardo Gomes v • d • e Brazil squad – Copa América 2004 Winners (7th title) 1 Júlio César • 2 Mancini • 3 Luisão • 4 Juan • 5 Renato • 6 Gustavo Nery • 7 Adriano • 8 Kléberson • 9 Luís Fabiano • 10 Alex • 11 Edu • 12 Fábio • 13 Maicon • 14 Bordon • 15 Cris • 16 Dudu Cearense • 17 Adriano C. • 18 Júlio Baptista • 19 Diego • 20 Felipe • 21 Oliveira • 22 Vágner Love • Coach: Parreira v • d • e Brazil squad – 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Winners (2nd Title) 1 Dida • 2 Maicon • 3 Lúcio • 4 Roque Júnior • 5 Emerson • 6 Gilberto • 7 Robinho • 8 Kaká • 9 Adriano • 10 Ronaldinho • 11 Zé Roberto • 12 Marcos • 13 Cicinho • 14 Juan • 15 Luisão • 16 Léo • 17 Gilberto Silva • 18 Juninho • 19 Renato • 20 Júlio Baptista • 21 Oliveira • 22 Edu • 23 Gomes • Coach: Parreira v • d • e Brazil squad – Copa América 2007 Winners (8th Title) 1 Helton • 2 Maicon • 3 Alex • 4 Juan • 5 Mineiro • 6 Gilberto • 7 Elano • 8 Gilberto Silva • 9 Vágner Love • 10 Diego • 11 Robinho • 12 Doni • 13 Daniel Alves • 14 Alex Silva • 15 Naldo • 16 Kléber • 17 Josué • 18 Fernando • 19 Júlio Baptista • 20 Anderson • 21 Afonso Alves • 22 Fred • Coach: Dunga v • d • e Brazil squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Winners (3rd title) 1 Júlio César • 2 Maicon • 3 Lúcio • 4 Juan • 5 Felipe Melo • 6 Kléber • 7 Elano • 8 Gilberto Silva • 9 Luís Fabiano • 10 Kaká • 11 Robinho • 12 Victor • 13 Daniel Alves • 14 Luisão • 15 Miranda • 16 André Santos • 17 Josué • 18 Ramires • 19 Júlio Baptista • 20 Kléberson • 21 Pato • 22 Nilmar • 23 Gomes • Coach: Dunga

v • d • e A.S. Roma – current squad 3 Cicinho · 4 Juan · 5 Mexès · 7 Pizarro · 8 Aquilani · 9 Vučinić · 10 Totti (c) · 11 Taddei · 12 Pipolo · 13 Motta · 14 Filipe · 16 De Rossi · 17 Riise · 19 Júlio Baptista · 20 Perrotta · 22 Tonetto · 24 Menez · 25 Artur · 27 Júlio Sérgio · 32 Doni · 33 Brighi · 77 Cassetti · Coach: Spalletti