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 in September 2014 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Júlio César da Silva | ||
Date of birth | 8 March 1963 | ||
Place of birth | Bauru, Brazil | ||
Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Centre back | ||
Youth career | |||
–1978 | Noroeste Bauru | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1979–1986 | Guarani | 54 | (3) |
1986–1987 | Brest | 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 | ||
International career | |||
1986–1993 | Brazil | 13 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Júlio César da Silva, usually known as Júlio César (born 8 March 1963) is a Brazilian former association footballer 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
Born in Bauru (São Paulo), 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 German 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 (though he missed the final of the former through injury).[5] 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 for Brazil at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico and won the Best Central Defender Award, being elected to the team of the tournament.[2][4] However, his outstanding performance in the tournament 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 had infamously shot his spot kick 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.[6] The following year, he also represented his country at the 1987 Copa América.[7]
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][6] 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][6]
Honours
Club
Montpellier[2]
Juventus[2]
Borussia Dortmund[2]
- Bundesliga; 1994–95, 1995–96
- UEFA Champions League: 1996–97
- Intercontinental Cup: 1997
- DFL-Supercup: 1995, 1996
Individual
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986[4][6]
- kicker Bundesliga-best defender: 1995
- FIFA XI: 1999[8]
References
- ^ "Julio Cesar" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Darwin Pastorin. "JULIO CESAR" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d Stefano Bedeschi (8 March 2015). "Gli eroi in bianconero: JULIO CESAR" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "'AGNELLI, NON FALLIRO' '" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 28 July 1990. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ "Borussia Dortmund In The 96/97 UEFA Champions League". byfarthegreatestteam.com. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d GIANNI MURA (28 June 1986). "DA PFAFF A VALDANO ECCO I MR. UNIVERSO" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ Martín Tabeira (22 August 2008). "Copa América 1987". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info Archived 17 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Júlio César at National-Football-Teams.com
- Julio Cesar da Silva at fussballdaten.de (in German)
- 1963 births
- Living people
- People from Bauru
- Brazilian footballers
- Brazil international footballers
- Brazil under-20 international footballers
- Brazilian expatriate footballers
- Association football central defenders
- Guarani FC players
- Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas players
- Borussia Dortmund players
- Panathinaikos F.C. players
- Juventus F.C. players
- Stade Brestois 29 players
- Montpellier HSC players
- SV Werder Bremen players
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
- Serie A players
- Ligue 1 players
- Super League Greece players
- Bundesliga players
- Expatriate footballers in France
- Expatriate footballers in Italy
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Expatriate footballers in Greece
- 1986 FIFA World Cup players
- 1987 Copa América players
- UEFA Cup winning players