Júlio César (footballer, born 1963)

Not to be confused with: Júlio César da Silva e Souza, Júlio César Santos Correa and Júlio César Soares Espíndola.
Júlio César
Personal information
Full name Júlio César da Silva
Date of birth (1963-03-08) 8 March 1963
Place of birth Bauru, Brazil
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Centre back
Youth career
0000–1978 Noroeste Bauru
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–1986 Guarani 54 (3)
1986–1987 Stade Brestois 32 (1)
1987–1990 Montpellier 93 (10)
1990–1994 Juventus 91 (3)
1994–1999 Borussia Dortmund 80 (7)
1998 → Botafogo (loan) 16 (0)
1999 → Panathinaikos (loan) 3 (0)
1999–2000 Werder Bremen 12 (0)
2001 Rio Branco
National team
1986–1993 Brazil 13 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Júlio César da Silva, usually known as Júlio César (born 8 March 1963 in Bauru (São Paulo) is a retired association footballer from Brazil, who played as a central defender.[1] Throughout his career, he played with multiple teams in Brazil and Europe, and also represented the Brazilian national team at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and at the 1987 Copa América.

Club career

Júlio César began his career in 1979 with Brazilian club Guarani. He moved to Europe in 1986, after a successful World Cup in Mexico, spending a season with French club Stade Brestois. The following season, he played for Montpellier, where he remained for three seasons, winning the Coupe de France during his final season with the team.[2][3]

He moved to Italian club Juventus in 1990,[4] in an attempt to strengthen the club's fragile defence, making his Serie A debut on 9 September 1990, in a 2–1 away win over Parma. He remained in Turin until 1994, although, despite some solid performances, his time with the club was largely unsuccessful; his only trophy with Juventus was the UEFA Cup, which he won in 1993, under Giovanni Trapattoni.[2] In total, he made 125 appearances for Juventus, scoring 6 goals, 2 of which came in European Competitions, and 3 of which came during his 91 Serie A appearances.[3]

In 1994, he was purchased by Germany club Borussia Dortmund, where he immediately won consecutive Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup titles, during his first two seasons with the team, as well as the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup in 1997. He remained with the club until 1999, apart from loans to Brazilian club Botafogo in 1998, and Greek club Panathinaikos in 1999. Later that year, he joined Werder Bremen for the 1999–2000 Bundesliga season, before moving back to Brazil once again, to play for Rio Branco, in 2001, where he retired.[2]

International career

Júlio César played 13 official matches for the Brazilian national team, from April 1986 to June 1993; he made his debut on 8 April 1986, in a 3–0 home win over East Germany.[2] He also played for Brazil against "The Rest of the World" in 1989 and for "The Rest of the World" against Brazil in 1990.

He played the Football World Cup 1986 and won the Best Central Defender Award, being elected to the team of the tournament.[2][4] However, his outstanding performance at this tournament in Mexico was tempered by his penalty miss against France in the memorable quarter-final in Guadalajara. With the penalty-shootout tied at 3–3, after Michel Platini's famous shot over the bar, Cesar stepped up for Brazil only to see his powerful effort crash against the left post. Luis Fernández converted the next penalty and subsequently won the match for France.[5] The following year, he also represented his country at the 1987 Copa América.[6]

Style of play

Widely considered to be one of Brazil's best central defenders, Júlio César was known for his physical strength, speed, and aerial ability, as well as his positioning, tackling, and adeptness at reading the game.[2][3][4][5] A quick, versatile, and powerful defender, with good feet, vision, and passing range, he was also capable of playing as a sweeper, a position which allowed him to contribute to his teams' attacks, and make runs into the opponent's half, where he used his aerial prowess, as well as his midfield-like elegance on the ball and technical skills, to great effect; he was also an accurate set-piece and penalty kick taker, possessing a powerful shot from distance, which made him an additional offensive threat.[2][3][4][5]

Honours

Club

Montpellier HSC[2]
Juventus F.C.[2]
Borussia Dortmund[2]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Julio Cesar" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Darwin Pastorin. "JULIO CESAR" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stefano Bedeschi (8 March 2015). "Gli eroi in bianconero: JULIO CESAR" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "'AGNELLI, NON FALLIRO' '" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 28 July 1990. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 GIANNI MURA (28 June 1986). "DA PFAFF A VALDANO ECCO I MR. UNIVERSO" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Martín Tabeira (22 August 2008). "Copa América 1987". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  7. ↑ FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
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