Júlio Baptista, Brazil footballer: Profile, Career, News & Videos

Júlio Baptista is a Brazilian football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder or a forward. He is nicknamed \"The Beast\" due to his size and physical presence on the football field.

Baptista began his career as a defensive midfielder, and after a series of impressive performances for his hometown squad São Paulo, Baptista signed for Sevilla 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. In January 2011 he returned to Spain by signing for Málaga, and two years later went back to Brazil with Cruzeiro.