Júlio Baptista

Who is Júlio Baptista?

Júlio César Clemente Baptista is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward in Cruzeiro Esporte Clube. Baptista is nicknamed "The Beast" due to his physique.

Baptista began his career as a defensive midfielder, and after a series of impressive performances for his home town squad São Paulo FC, Baptista signed for Sevilla FC in 2003. Upon signing for Sevilla, he was converted into a forward, and in his two seasons, he scored 50 goals, leading to his 2005 transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid. After two unsuccessful seasons at Real Madrid with a loan spell at Arsenal sandwiched in between, Baptista transferred to Roma in Italy. On 3 January 2011, Baptista completed a move to Spanish club Málaga, signing on a three-and-a-half-year deal.