Júlio 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.
Early career
Referred to as the "Beast of Sevilla" and even as the "Brazilian Steven Gerrard" [2], Júlio Baptista began his professional career in 2000 as a defensive midfielder 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, having switched position so that he operated further forward.
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 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. Thus, his form dipped and he was left out of the Brazil squad for the 2006 World Cup.
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, the deal involved the two players swapping clubs on 12 month loan deals.
Arsenal
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. He scored his first goal for Arsenal against Hamburg SV on 21 November 2006. Baptista then scored a remarkable 4 goals in a Carling Cup Quarter Final against Liverpool F.C. on January 9, 2007. Despite missing a penalty, it was the first time an Arsenal player had scored more than three in a League Cup tie [5], and he was the first player in over 60 years to score four goals against Liverpool at Anfield.[6] He continued his goalscoring run scoring two in the League Cup with a brace against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, in the first leg of the semi-final on January 24th at White Hart Lane. On 3 March 2007, Baptista scored his first English Premier League goal against Reading F.C in the 2-1 win for Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium.
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
"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
"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
