Julio Baptista Biography
Júlio César Pereira 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 and the Brazil national team.Referred to as the "Beast of Sevilla" and even as the "Brazilian Steven Gerrard", 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.
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.
Baptista received the number 9 jersey at Arsenal, and made his debut for the club on 9 September 2006, coming on as a substitute against Middlesbrough.