Julio Arca is an Argentine footballer born on January 31, 1981 in Quilmes. Fondly called as “Hooolio”, he was the former captain of the Argentina U-21 national football team. He started to play in the European Union as he had his Italian passport and did not require a work permit. He plays at the left-back position or as a midfield enforcer, and is famous for dribbling.
Julio Arca kick started his career at the youth club Argentinos Juniors in 1994 and played 36 games for the club during 1998-2000 seasons. He signed a five-year deal worth £3.5 million with Sunderland A.F.C. in 2000. He shot to success as he went on to score in his debut against West Ham United at the Stadium of Light. Julio Arca won the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Youth Championship title in 2001. He scored thrice for Sunderland A.F.C at the Premiership and was a part of the winning team that clinched the Football League Championship title of 2004-05. Julio Arca scored a free kick in a match against Middlesbrough, which helped Sunderland F.C. to win the match 2-0.
Julio Arca signed Middlesbrough F.C. at the dawn of 2006-07 on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £1.75m. He scored his first goal for the club against Charlton Athletic F.C., in 2006 after which he established himself as an attacking midfielder. He delivered a highly commendable performance at the Football Association (FA) Cup in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United F.C. Julio Arca was handed over the captaincy of Middlesbrough in January 2008. He made his debut as a captain in a Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers.
