Júlio Baptista

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Julio Baptista
Image:beastdiboss.jpg
Personal information
Full name Julio Clement Baptista
Date of birth October 1, 1981 (age 25)
Place of birth Sao Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.83m (6'0")
Nickname Beast
Position striker
Club information
Current club Arsenal
Number 9
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
2000-2003
2003-2005
2005-2006
2006-		 São Paulo
Sevilla
Real Madrid
Arsenal		 73 (10)
63 (38)
32 (8)
4 (0)
National team**
2001- Brazil 20 (0)

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 11:24, 22 November 2006 (UTC).
** 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 and also is a regular in the Brazil national team squad.

Contents

[edit] Clubs

[edit] Early career

Referred to as the "Beast of Sevilla" and even as the "Brazilian Steven Gerrard" [1], Baptista is often considered one of the best Brazilian strikers/attacking midfielders despite having been converted from a defensive midfielder. He began his professional career in 2000 with São Paulo, 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 body. He is extremely powerful.

[edit] 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].

[edit] 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 against Hamburger SV on 21 November 2006.

[edit] 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).

[edit] Honours

[edit] 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]


[edit] External links


Arsenal F.C. - Current Squad

1 Lehmann | 2 Diaby | 4 Fàbregas | 5 Touré | 6 Senderos | 7 Rosický | 8 Ljungberg | 9 Baptista | 10 Gallas | 11 van Persie | 12 Lauren | 13 Hleb | 14 Henry | 15 Denílson | 16 Flamini | 17 Song | 19 Gilberto | 20 Djourou | 21 Poom | 22 Clichy | 24 Almunia | 25 Adebayor | 27 Eboué | 30 Aliadière | 31 Hoyte | 32 Walcott | Manager: Wenger
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../j/%C3%BA/l/J%C3%BAlio_Baptista_d2ce.html"