Júlio César Clemente Pereira Baptista (born 1 October 1981) is a Brazilian football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder or a forward.

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.

[4] As the season progressed, his good form continued, including a double against Levante UD and once more hitting the back of the net against Racing de Santander, this time with four goals as Sevilla picked up a 5–2 victory at home.

His form attracted the attention of several big clubs, but despite interest from English giants Arsenal, Baptista remained at Sevilla for the following season, in which he once more showed his worth registering 25 goals in all competitions.

At Real, Baptista was often played out of position as a left-winger to accommodate the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Guti in the Spanish side's attacking line-up.

At the end of August 2006, with the transfer window about to close, press reports linked him with a move to either Tottenham Hotspur or Arsenal.

[13] At the end of the 2006–07 season, he was no longer required by Arsenal and returned to Real Madrid, as the loan deal finished.

[14] He then netted a magnificent first half goal from a one-two pass from Ruud van Nistelrooy against rivals Barcelona in the El Clásico.

[18][19] Baptista made his debut for Roma in the Supercoppa Italiana on 24 August 2008, but the team lost to Inter Milan on penalties.

Baptista, however, was injured during the match between Málaga and Getafe CF (and scoring from penalty in a 2–2 draw) and was operated in Brazil couple of days later.

He returned to action on 16 April 2011 by scoring twice in a 3–0 home win over RCD Mallorca, taking the team out of the relegation zone.

However, he injured his right leg during the match, and though it was at first thought to be a minor injury he ultimately needed an operation that would keep him out of action for the rest of the year.

Baptista scored his first goal since his return from injury on 30 March, netting the winner in Malaga's 3–1 defeat of Rayo Vallecano, a result that pushed the side into fourth place in La Liga.

On 24 July 2013, Júlio Baptista signed with the Brazilian first division club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, where he was teamed up with well-known names such as Dedé, Dagoberto, and Fábio.

On 28 July 2013, Baptista went to the Mineirão Stadium in an armored car, and was presented to Celeste fans in the club's 4–1 victory against rivals Atlético Mineiro.

[31] Eight days later, he made his debut in a goalless Liga I draw at Gaz Metan Mediaș, replacing Alexandru Ioniță in the 70th minute.

[citation needed] As Baptista often played out of position at Real Madrid, his form dipped, and he was not included on the 2006 World Cup roster.