Daniel Alberto Cruz Castro (born 3 May 1981) is a Colombian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Career

Youth career

Cruz played his early football at the Academia de Fútbol Tucumán in his hometown of

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

. His father, a retired Argentinian professional football player, was his primary coaching influence. In 1998, Cruz was discovered by an

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

scout while training with the first team at

América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian professional football club based in Cali. It competes in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight league of Colombian football. The team plays its home games at ...

. Within two weeks, at 17, the young Colombian had signed with the Dutch club's youth reserve program.Daniel Cruz Bi
www.tucuman.com

Ajax

Cruz made his first team debut for Ajax during the 2000–01 season after two years with the club's youth reserve program.Newcastle United Ma
www.newcastleunited-mad.co.uk
That season, he played in eleven matches for the Ajax first team before being sidelined with a knee injury. A head coaching change during his rehabilitation undermined the possibility of Cruz returning to the first team ranks at Ajax.Ajax turn to Koema
news.bbc.co.uk
/ref> Eventually he was loaned and later sold to Belgian club

Germinal Beerschot Koninklijke Beerschot Antwerpen Club (), simply known as Beerschot AC, was a Belgian association football, football club based in southern Antwerp. Beerschot played in the Belgian Pro League from Belgian First Division 1999–2000, 1999–2000 ...

Germinal Beerschot

Since his move from Ajax in 2002, until the expiration of his final contract with the club in 2011, Cruz established himself as one of the most prolific players in Germinal Beerschot club history. His time there spanned nearly a decade – having made over 250 appearances for the club in all competitions.Dynamo bring Colombian Cruz on tria
www.houstondynamo.com
/ref> Cruz was considered a trendsetter in the

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...

. The South American midfielder was known as a play-maker with charisma and modesty.Daniel Cruz Spelers Inf
www.nieuwsblad.be
In 2005, Cruz captained Germinal Beerschot to a

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (; ; ) is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed ...

title.Cofidis Cup Past Winner
www.cofidiscup.be

Lierse

After winning the Belgian Cup in 2005, Cruz shocked fans and the media when he announced that he had signed a contract with rival club Lierse for the following season. The deal was rumored to be one of the largest contracts in

history.Nieuwe zaak-Cru
www.nieuwsblad.be
/ref> Financial troubles at Lierse halfway through the 2005–06 season led to the club actually selling Cruz back to Germinal Beerschot after only six months of his three-year deal.Cruz van Lierse terug naar Beerschot
www.nieuwsblad.be
/ref>

FC Dallas

On 4 August 2011, it was announced that Cruz had signed with FC Dallas of American

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

.FC Dallas add veteran Colombian playmaker Daniel Cru
www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/04/
/ref> Cruz scored his first goal for his new club on 14 September 2011, in a 1–1 draw against Tauro. The goal was just 27 seconds into the match officially making it the quickest strike in FC Dallas club history.CCL Recap: FC Dallas 1, Tauro FC
http://www.fcdallas.com/news/2011/09/
/ref>

Personal life

Cruz is the son of retired Argentinian football player José Luis Cruz who played for River Plate and

.José Luis Cruz Bi
www.tucuman.com
/ref> In January 2009, ''Voetbal'' magazine produced a cover story featuring an extensive interview with Cruz. The article highlighted the Colombian's role at his club, his recent injuries, and his love for Germinal Beerschot.GBA News Archiv
www.germinalbeerschot.be
/ref>

Honours

Beerschot A.C. *

: 2004–05

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Daniel Living people 1981 births Footballers from Cali Colombian men's footballers Colombian people of Argentine descent Men's association football midfielders Lierse S.K. players Eredivisie players Belgian Pro League players Major League Soccer players América de Cali footballers AFC Ajax players Beerschot A.C. players FC Dallas players Deportivo Cali footballers S.K. Beveren players Colombian expatriate men's footballers Colombian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Colombian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States 21st-century Colombian sportsmen