The prodigal son returns: Júlio Baptista named São Paulo U20 boss | OneFootball

Long after the news first broke, São Paulo officially announced on Thursday morning (16) the appointment of Júlio Baptista as the new head coach of the club’s under-20 team. He signed a contract through December 31, 2028.

“I’m very happy to return home. The timing is perfect, especially because of the chance to help these young players — after all, the future of Tricolor is here. It’s an incredible opportunity. I arrive highly motivated to do a good job and contribute to their development,” he said.

A product of the club’s academy, Júlio Baptista built a successful career as a player. With São Paulo, he won the 2000 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior while still in the youth ranks. For the senior team, he made 138 appearances and won the 2001 Rio-São Paulo Tournament and the 2002 São Paulo Super Championship.

In Europe, he played for clubs such as Real Madrid, Sevilla, Málaga, Arsenal, and Roma. After returning to Brazil, he was part of Cruzeiro’s back-to-back Brazilian Championship-winning squads in 2013 and 2014.

With the Brazil national team, he collected major titles throughout his career. He won the 2001 South American Under-20 Championship, the Copa América in 2004 and 2007, and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 and 2009. He was also part of the squad that played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

After retiring, he began his coaching career in Spain, where he earned UEFA A and B licenses alongside names such as Xavi Hernández, Xabi Alonso, and Patrick Vieira, among others.

As a coach, after a period of internship at Leganés, he had a long spell at Valladolid, where he managed teams from the under-15 to under-20 levels.

Júlio Baptista had his first contact with São Paulo’s under-20 squad on Wednesday morning (15), before the team traveled to Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, where they face Avaí this Thursday at 3 p.m. (Brasília time) in the Brazilian Championship for the category. For the match, Marcos Vizolli will be in charge of the team, while the new coach will follow the game on site.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.