Júlio César (football goalkeeper, born 1979)
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Júlio César Soares de Espíndola (born 3 September 1979), known as Júlio César (), is a Brazilian 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, rugb ...
who played as a
goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...
. Júlio César spent seven years at Italian club
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...
, with whom they won five ''Scudetti'', the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League, and the
2010 FIFA Club World Cup The 2010 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament that was played from 8 to 18 December 2010. It was the seventh FIFA Club World Cup and was ...
. He was awarded the
Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year The AIC Goalkeeper of the Year ( it, Migliore portiere AIC) was a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) since 1997 to 2010 as part of the Oscar del Calcio awards, given to the goalkeeper who had been considered to ha ...
title in both 2009 and 2010, and was nominated for the
2009 Ballon d'Or The 2009 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona on 1 December 2009. Messi won the award by a then record margin, 240 points a ...
, where he was voted into 21st place. He was also named
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
Club Goalkeeper of the Year after the 2009–10 season and won the Golden Glove award at the 2013 Confederations Cup. César won 87 international caps for
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. He was selected for the
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,
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and
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from ...
s, and two
Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
tournaments.


Club career


Flamengo and Chievo

Júlio César began his professional career with
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional associatio ...
in 1997. He made his debut that year on 17 May in a match versus Fluminense where he saved a penalty kick which was not enough as the team lost 2–0. From 1997 to 2000, he served as
Clemer Clemer Melo da Silva or simply Clemer (born October 20, 1968), is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as goalkeeper and current manager. Career On March 4, 1997, he scored his first goal, in a Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil ( en, ...
understudy, only taking his spot during Copa João Havelange, showing good skills on goal. Júlio César's performances on goal also earned him the first call-up to the Brazil senior squad in 2002, also helping Flamengo to escape relegation in several times in 2001, 2002 and 2004. His best match for the team was the second match of 2001
Campeonato Carioca The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Port., Rio de Janeiro State Championship), was started in 1906 and is the annual football championship in the state of Rio de Janeiro, B ...
final against Vasco da Gama, making several great saves. Following the match, while still on the dressing room, he interrupted a live interview of Beto to make a provocation to Vasco da Gama president Eurico Miranda, who, according to him, had already reserved the party at Basque. In 2003, Júlio César become embroiled in a controversy during the loss to Fluminense. With Flamengo already trailing 4–0, César, after making a save, dropped the ball on the ground and begun playing with the feet, dribbling several players until the ball was taken by Zé Carlos. This attitude was heavily criticized by then coach of the team, Evaristo de Macedo, who called him an "idiot". According to César, he did this because he was desperate and was feeling helpless, stating: "Fluminense was giving us the runaround and I wanted to help my teammates, who were going through a difficult situation. I overdid it because I was sad and hurt, but I already apologized on Saturday." He left the club at the beginning of 2005, having made 285 appearances for the club in all competitions. He was the third goalkeeper with most appearances for the club, behind only Cantarele (557) and Zé Carlos (352). In January 2005, he moved to Italian
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
club Chievo. Due to Serie A regulations that impose a cap on the number of non-EU players clubs can sign from abroad, Júlio César could not join
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...
at the time and was initially registered to Chievo through a deal between the two clubs.


Inter Milan

In July 2005, following a deal between Chievo and Inter, Júlio César officially signed a three-year contract with Inter. The deal cost Inter €2.45 million.


2005–06: Debut season

Júlio César was given squad number 12, and made his official debut on 10 August in the first leg of 2005–06 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round versus Shakhtar Donetsk, keeping a clean-sheet in the 2–0 win at RSC Olimpiyskiy. His first title with the club came to him when he was benched at the
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual association football, football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles ...
against
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...
. César made his Serie A debut on 28 August in the season opener against
Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Vene ...
, making a good overall performance and keeping a clean-sheet as the match was won 3–0. On 24 November, during a Champions League group stage match against
Petržalka Petržalka (; german: Engerau / Audorf; hu, Pozsonyligetfalu) is the largest borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Situated on the right bank of the river Danube, the area shares a land border with Austria, and is home to around 100,000 ...
, Júlio César played in a line-up of 11 foreign players on the pitch;
Luís Figo Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a one ...
was the only
europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an. Júlio César finished his first season with ''Nerazzurri'' by making 40 appearances in all competitions, as Inter won the championship following the relegation of Juventus due to match-fixing, and also conquered
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
by defeating
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4–2 on aggregate, with César playing on both finals. Inter thus completed the domestic treble. His performances were noted during his first season, as he was distinguished for saving penalties and making great saves, which made
Francesco Toldo Francesco Toldo (; born 2 December 1971) is an Italian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation. In a professional career which spanned two full decades, he ...
lose his place as starting keeper after four seasons.


2006–09: Domestic success

The 2006–07 season was even more successful for Júlio César and Inter, as the player and the team set several records in the league. He played 32 matches as the championship ended in conquest, with Inter winning it for the 15th time in history. He kept 12 clean-sheets and conceded 30 goals, with Inter losing only once; they won the title with 5 games to spare, and collected 97 points and setting a record for most consecutive matches without defeat, 31. Júlio César begun 2007–08 season by receiving a red card, his first in Inter colours, in a 1–1 draw versus Udinese in the opening week of championship. He kept three clean-sheets in the Champions League group stage to help Inter finish top of
Group G Group G may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing * One of eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group G ** 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G ** 2014 FIFA Wor ...
. He finished the season by winning another championship, contributing with a clean-sheet in the decisive last match against
Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...
. By keeping 17 clean-sheets in 35 Serie A matches, Júlio César set a personal record in terms of clean sheets, with a 53 percent average. In the Champions League, he made 8 appearances, but the team was eliminated in the round of 16 by
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. Júlio César commenced his 4th Inter
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
on 24 August 2008 by playing in the
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual association football, football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles ...
match against Roma; the regular and extra-time ended in a 2–2 draw. In the penalty shoot-out, he stopped the attempt of his Brazil teammate Juan which paved Inter's way to victory as the ''Nerazzurri'' won 8–7. One month later, he made his 100th Serie A appearance as Inter won 1–0 versus
Lecce Lecce ( ); el, label= Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the provi ...
in the
2008–09 Serie A The 2008–09 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 107th season of top-tier Italian football, the 77th in a round-robin tournament. It began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009, with the announcement of the ...
week 4. Inter finished the championship again in the first place with 84 points, 10 more than the second place Juventus, with Júlio César contributing with 17 clean-sheets in 36 matches, equaling his personal best set the previous season. In July 2009, Júlio César was chosen by '' ESPN Brasil'' as the best player of the 2008–09 season. He also received the ''Prêmio Futebol no Mundo'' (Football in the World Award), designated to the best Brazilian footballer playing outside Brazil in that season.


2009–10: Treble-winning campaign

Júlio César was one of the main protagonists during the 2009–10 season, where he played 54 matches in all competitions. In November 2009, he signed a contract with Inter which would last until 2014, adding two more years to his contract. On 1 December, Júlio César finished 21st in the
2009 Ballon d'Or The 2009 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona on 1 December 2009. Messi won the award by a then record margin, 240 points a ...
ranking. Later on 24 January 2010, in the
Derby della Madonnina The Derby della Madonnina, also known as the Derby di Milano (Milan Derby, in English), is a derby football match between the two prominent Milanese clubs, Internazionale and A.C. Milan. It is called ''Derby della Madonnina'' in honour of one ...
versus
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
, he kept his goal intact by saving a penalty of his international teammate
Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Wide ...
as Inter won 2–0 with 9 players to increase their league lead. Júlio César then was involved in a car accident just two days before the first leg of 2009–10 UEFA Champions League round of 16 against Chelsea which left him bruised and nursing lacerations to his face. He was, however, able to start the game and despite conceding in the second half made a decent overall performance as Inter won the first leg 2–1. Júlio César was vital also in team's
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
campaign where he kept two clean-sheets in the semi-final tie against
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
which sent Inter to the final 2–0 on aggregate. He also was on top of his game in the semi-final tie of Champions League versus
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, saving several shots, including one in the second leg against
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the g ...
that was dubbed as "career defining" by Júlio César himself. Inter won 3–2 on aggregate to reach the final for the first time since 1972. He won his first trophy of the season on 5 May by making an excellent performance against Roma as Inter won 1–0 to claim the Coppa Italia trophy. Eleven days later, Júlio César won his fifth consecutive ''
Scudetto The ''scudetto'' ( Italian for: "little shield") is a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in the previous sea ...
'' as Inter won at
Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...
to finish the championship two points ahead of Roma. On 22 May in the Champions League final against
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
, he made another splendid performance, making vital saves against Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben as Inter won 2–0 thanks to the brace of
Diego Milito Diego Alberto Milito (born 12 June 1979) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is currently a sports manager. Milito began his club career in Argentina with Racing Club in 1999, and later moved to Italian ...
, winning their first European title in 45 years. By winning Serie A,
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
and
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
, Inter became the first Italian club to win the treble. His performances in league, where he was ever-present and kept 17 clean-sheets earned him
Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year The AIC Goalkeeper of the Year ( it, Migliore portiere AIC) was a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) since 1997 to 2010 as part of the Oscar del Calcio awards, given to the goalkeeper who had been considered to ha ...
award for the second consecutive year, also becoming only the third goalkeeper to win it more than once. For his performances in the Champions League, he won the award UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year. His impressive form for Inter earned him praise from former Inter and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
goalkeeper
Gianluca Pagliuca Gianluca Pagliuca (; born 18 December 1966) is an Italian football coach and former professional goalkeeper. He is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, and one of Italy's best keepers ever. Throughout his c ...
, who stated his belief that Júlio César was the best goalkeeper in the world.


2010–11: FIFA Club World Cup champion

Ahead of the new season, César changed his squad number from 12 to 1, which was vacated by the retired Francesco Toldo. His old squad number became part of newcomer
Luca Castellazzi Luca Castellazzi (born 19 July 1975) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He serves as the goalkeeper coach of Milan young team under 17. Club career Early career Castellazzi began his career at Monza. He t ...
. On 21 August 2010, he won his 4th
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual association football, football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles ...
trophy; Inter faced Roma in a 3–1 comeback win at San Siro. In November 2010, the medical staff discovered a torn thigh injury at Júlio César and put his presence at
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
in doubt. He was recovered in time and was called for the tournament, keeping a clean-sheet in the semi-final match against Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. He kept his goal intact in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
as well which helped the team to win the trophy for the first time after defeating TP Mazembe 3–0. Inter thus completed the Quintuple to become the fourth team in the world after Liverpool in 2001, Al-Ahly in 2006 and Barcelona in 2009. Júlio César ended 2010 by being named second best goalkeeper of 2010 by
IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
, only behind
Iker Casillas Iker Casillas Fernández (; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper and currently works as a football commentator. Popularly dubbed "''San ...
. He was also named Inter Player of the Year for 2010 for his outstanding appearances throughout the year, receiving Pirata d'Oro Award. He finished 19th in the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or ranking, winning two places compare to last year ranking. His torn thigh injury reappeared at the beginning of 2011 which kept him sidelined for 28 days, missing 8 matches in the process. He returned on action on 30 January in the league match against
Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...
and despite conceding twice in the first half, contributed by saving a
Javier Pastore Javier Matías Pastore (; born 20 June 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatar SC. Pastore began his club career with Talleres and then Huracán in his native Argentina before moving to ...
penalty and his rebound as well as Inter bounced back to win 3–2. In February, Júlio César made a poor performance in the first leg of 2010–11 UEFA Champions League round of 16 against Bayern Munich, as his weak save against Arjen Robben turned into a rebound Mario Gómez who scored for a 1–0 win at San Siro. He repeated the howler in the second leg as well, making another poor save against Robben only for Gómez to score again. However, he was decisive in a one-on-one save against Franck Ribéry and another one against Gómez; Inter eventually overturned the game and won 3–2, meaning they progressed on the away goal rule. In the
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
, he played in both legs of semi-final tie against Roma, keeping a clean-sheet in the first one as Inter reached the final for the second consecutive season, where they defeating Palermo to win the third trophy of the season. Júlio César finished 2010–11 campaign by making 39 appearances in all competitions, including 25 in league, where Inter failed to win the title for the first time after 5 seasons. In the Champions League, where Júlio César played 7 matches, the team lost the crown after being eliminated by Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals.


2011–12: 300th match and farewell

In 2011–12 season, Júlio César played his 200th Serie A match on 1 October 2011 in the 3–0 home loss to Napoli, saving a penalty kick in the first half. Later on 22 November, Júlio César made his 50th UEFA Champions League appearance in the 1–1 draw against
Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League Group B matchday 4. This draw was enough for Inter to secure a spot in the round of 16. He reached a century of clean sheets in Serie A on 18 March 2012 by playing in the goalless draw against
Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily kno ...
in the matchday 28. This draw meant that Inter have won only one of their last nine league matches. Júlio César's 300th appearance in all competitions for Inter occurred on 6 May in the penultimate week of Serie A against Milan in which Inter won 4–2. He conceded a controversial penalty to Kevin-Prince Boateng and was included in a verbal confrontation with Zlatan Ibrahimović who went on to convert the penalty. He was booked for the penalty which made him miss the final match of the season against
Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
. He concluded his 7th season at Inter by amassing 40 appearances in all competitions as Inter finished sixth in
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...
, with the team just five goals short of equalling their all-time worst concession in a single Serie A campaign. In the Champions League, the team was eliminated in the round of 16 by
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
on away goal rule and was knocked out of Coppa Italia by Napoli. With some critics believing Júlio César had declined in form since the 2009–10 season, Inter signed
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
n goalkeeper Samir Handanović from Udinese to take over as first-choice goalkeeper. On 31 July 2012, Júlio César stated his intention to leave Inter, saying, "They have been seven beautiful and successful years, but, in a few days, my adventure with the Inter shirt will end. I would like to thank all of you fans for the support you have given me and I hope you have a lot more success to enjoy." He explained that the decision came after Inter suggested to reduce his salary, which Júlio César refused by stating: "no player in my situation would have done that". He gave his farewell before the match against Vaslui, entering on the field accompanied by his children to greet the fans with an open letter written by himself.


Queens Park Rangers

On 29 August 2012, Júlio César confirmed that he had signed for English
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club Queens Park Rangers on a four-year contract. He became the fourth Champions League winner in the QPR squad, along with Djibril Cissé (
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
),
Park Ji-sung Park Ji-sung (; ; born 30 March 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies i ...
(
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
) and José Bosingwa (
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
and
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
). Júlio César made his Premier League debut on 15 September 2012 in the home match versus Chelsea, making an excellent performance by keeping a clean-sheet as the match ended in a goalless draw. He managed to play 26 games in his debut season, including 24 in league, keeping 6 clean-sheets as QPR was relegated to
EFL Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
after only two seasons. Following QPR's relegation from the Premier League at the end of his debut campaign, Júlio César was frozen out of the team. Despite this, he did not leave the club before the summer transfer window closed. On 4 January 2014, Júlio César started his first game for Rangers against Everton in the third round of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
, which QPR lost 4–0.


Toronto FC loan

On 7 February 2014, Júlio César confirmed that he had signed a loan for
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
(MLS) club
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...
. The move was made to get some match action for him, prior to representing Brazil in the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from ...
, as he had been replaced by Robert Green as QPR's first choice goalkeeper. César made his debut with Toronto in their season opener at the Seattle Sounders on 15 March, which ended in a 2–1 away victory with both goals coming from newly acquired Jermain Defoe. During week seven of the season, he was awarded MLS Save of the Week against
David Texeira César David Texeira Torres (born 27 February 1991) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a forward. Club career Defensor Sporting Texeira started his career playing with Defensor Sporting a top club in Uruguay, where he made h ...
of
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...
. He was recalled from loan and returned to QPR on 25 July 2014.


Departure

On 19 August 2014, the club announced via a statement that they have terminated the contract with Júlio César by mutual consent. He stated that he didn't play in his second season at Rangers due to "contractual problems". He added: "I’d have to go to the park by myself. I even bought some goalkeeper gloves because I didn’t want my team to know about it."


Benfica

On 19 August 2014, Júlio César signed a two-year deal with Portuguese champions Benfica. He debuted for the team in a 3–1
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
home win against
Moreirense Moreirense Futebol Clube is a Portuguese professional football club based in Moreira de Cónegos, Guimarães Municipality, in Minho. Founded on 1 November 1938, it plays in the Liga Portugal 2, holding home games at Parque de Jogos Comendador J ...
on 21 September. On 26 January 2015, he set the fourth-best record ever at Benfica without conceding a goal in the Portuguese league, at 808 minutes. Then, on 9 May, he set a personal record in terms of clean sheets, with a 59 percent average (16 clean sheets in 27 matches), surpassing his 53 percent record with Inter. Later in early July, he was awarded Best Goalkeeper in Primeira Liga. On 25 May 2016, he renewed his contract with Benfica until 2018. However, his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 28 November 2017. During his spell at the
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
side, he won six trophies, including three league titles.


Return to Flamengo

On 29 January 2018, Flamengo announced the return of Júlio César to the club, 13 years after originally leaving for Europe. Júlio César rejoined the club to make his farewell, signing a three-month contract. The contract will earn him a symbolic fee of 15,000
Brazilian real The Brazilian real ( pl. '; sign: R$; code: BRL) is the official currency of Brazil. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The Central Bank of Brazil is the central bank and the issuing authority. The real replaced the cruzeiro real in 1994 ...
. He took squad number 12 which was previously retired in honour of the fans. Júlio César played his first match for Flamengo in 13 years on 8 March, starting and wearing the
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
armband in a 3–0 away win over Boavista in 2018 Campeonato Carioca. Júlio César played in the 2–0 win over
América Mineiro The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
on 22 April in what was his final match as a professional footballer. He delivered a great performance, making 5 saves. Before the match, Júlio César stated:


International career


1995–99: Youth career

Júlio César was the starting keeper of Brazil under-17 squad in the
1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship The FIFA U-17 World Championship 1995, the sixth edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Guayaquil, Portoviejo, Quito, Ibarra, Cuenca, and Riobamba in Ecuador between 3 and 20 August 1995. Players born after 1 August 1978 could ...
in
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
. He kept clean-sheets in all three Group C matches, respectively against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
,
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, helping Brazil finish on top. Brazil made their way to the final, also defeating their rivals
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
in the semi-final, only to lose 3–2 to
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...
. Four years later, Júlio César was part of Brazil under-20 side in their 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship campaign. He was the second choice behind Fábio, making no appearances as Brazil was eliminated in the quarter-finals by
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.


2003–04: Debut and Copa América triumph

Júlio César was first included in Brazil senior team for the
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Viv ...
, where he did not play as the team was eliminated in the group stage. The next year, he was included in the squad for the 2004 Copa América, where he also made his first international appearance, starting in the opening Group C against
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
, keeping a clean-sheet as ''Seleção'' won 1–0. He became the 963rd player to play at least a match for Brazil. He was the starting keeper during the tournament, leading the team to the final versus
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
. In the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
, the regular time ended in a 2–2 draw which lead the match to penalty shootouts where Júlio César saved the first penalty executed by
Andrés D'Alessandro Andrés Nicolás D'Alessandro (born 15 April 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He has played top-flight football in Argentina, Germany, England, Spain, Brazil and Uruguay. He won an Olym ...
in a 4–2 win. This win constituted his first international trophy and Brazil's 7th title.


2005–07: Years as backup and 2006 FIFA World Cup

Júlio César spend the majority of 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign on bench as
Dida In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Diploma in Digital Applications (DiDA) is an optional information and communication technology (ICT) course, usually studied by Key Stage 4 or equivalent school students (aged 14-16). DiDA was intr ...
's understudy, making only two appearances in both matches against
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. He was included in the manager Carlos Alberto Parreira's list for the final tournament, taking squad number 22 as the third keeper. He didn't play in the tournament as Brazil was eliminated in the
quarter-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
by
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. After the World Cup and the international retirement of Dida, the competition to become Brazil's new first-choice goalkeeper began. He initially was out of favor, as new coach Dunga preferred Gomes, Helton and Doni ahead of him. However, he forced his way into the team and finally, he replaced Doni as first-choice goalkeeper in September 2007. Until that period, he had only 14 international caps to his name.


2008–10: Confederations Cup glory and World Cup

Júlio César begun his
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oc ...
campaign by keeping two clean-sheets in the opening two matches against
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
, a goalless draw, and
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
, a 5–0 win. He was ever-presented during the qualifying campaign, making 18 appearances, keeping 10 clean-sheets and conceding only 11 goals, being the goalkeeper with most clean-sheets achieved and less goals conceded as Brazil clinched the first place and secured a spot to
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
. During the qualifying campaign Júlio César also set a Brazil record by keeping his goal intact for 581 minutes, starting the streak in the match against
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
and finishing it in the last regular minute of the match against Ecuador. This made him the Brazil keeper with most minutes without conceding, breaking the previous record of 491 minutes set by Claudio Taffarel. In June 2009, Júlio César was named in the Brazil squad by manager Dunga for the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Jo ...
. He played his first match in the tournament on 15 June 2009 in Brazil's 4–3 defeat of
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
. His performance was rated as positive whatsoever. Júlio César, however, kept clean-sheets in the remaining two matches of Group B as Brazil finished on top with full points. Brazil defeated
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
in the semi-final, with Júlio César giving a Man of the Match performance. In the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
on 28 June against the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, Júlio César won his second international trophy after Brazil won 3–2 despite conceding twice in the first half. Individually, he was the keeper with most clean-sheets in the tournament, 3 in 5 matches. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Brazil was shorted in
Group G Group G may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing * One of eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group G ** 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G ** 2014 FIFA Wor ...
. He joined the team in May 2010 and also played in a friendly against
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
which was won 3–0. He was included in the final list by manager Dunga along with Inter teammates
Lúcio Lucimar Ferreira da Silva (born 8 May 1978), commonly known as Lúcio, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. A tall and physically strong defender who excelled in the air, Lúcio was known for his long, sur ...
and Maicon whom he won the Treble with. Júlio César played his first
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has ...
match on 15 June in the opening match of Group G, a 2–1 win over
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
. He made his 50th international appearance in the second group match, a 3–1 win against
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...
. He kept his first FIFA World Cup clean-sheet in the last group match against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
which ended 0–0. The result sent them to the
knockout stage A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...
as Group G winners. Júlio César was at fault in the
quarter-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
match versus
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
as his flap at a Wesley Sneijder cross led to the goal that saw the Dutch draw level; Brazil lost 2–1 and were eliminated. Following the elimination, speaking about the first Netherlands goal, he told that "he had doubts on how to go to the ball with Melo." He finished his World Cup campaign by keeping two clean-sheets in 5 matches.


2011–12: Copa América and decline

On 8 June 2011, Júlio César was called by manager Mano Menezes for the
2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South Americ ...
, which was his 6th international tournament. He made his first Copa América appearance on 3 July by keeping a clean-sheet in the 0–0 draw against
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. ''Seleção'' finished Group B on first place with 5 points. In the
quarter-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
match against
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
, Júlio César kept his goal intact in the regular and extra-time before the match went to penalty shoot-out, where Brazil was eliminated 0–2 after missing all of their attempts. After Copa América had ended, Júlio César continued to be part of the team; he was in goal in the first friendly of 2012 against
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
. His poor attempt to save a shot from Vedad Ibišević resulted in Bosnia's only goal as the match was won by Brazil. This howler resulted in him being dropped by manager Mano Menezes for the rest of 2012.


2013–14: Confederations Cup champion and final World Cup

The returned
Luiz Felipe Scolari Luiz Felipe Scolari (; born 9 November 1948), also known as Felipão ("Big Phil"), is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Athletico Paranaense. Scolari was a defender during his playing days, and not ...
included Júlio César in the 23 players list for the friendly against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
on 6 February 2013. Speaking of his return to the national team after almost a year, Júlio César commented: "I never gave up on playing for Brazil." He made his first international appearance after 12 months by starting in the match, conceding in each half as Brazil lost 2–1 at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. This win was also England's first over "''Verde-Amarela''" in 23 years. Júlio César was part of the 23 players called by coach
Luiz Felipe Scolari Luiz Felipe Scolari (; born 9 November 1948), also known as Felipão ("Big Phil"), is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Athletico Paranaense. Scolari was a defender during his playing days, and not ...
to play in the
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, which was held in Brazil from 15 to 30 June 2013 as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The most recent winners of the six continental championships appeared in the tour ...
on home soil. He played three matches in Group A and kept two clean sheets; the first in the opening match against
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
(3–0) and the second against
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
(2–0). In the semifinal against
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, Júlio César saved a penalty kick taken by Diego Forlán in the 14th minute. Brazil went to win the match by 2–1, and Júlio César was named man of the match. He kept his goal intact in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
as well against
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
as Brazil won 3–0 to claim their 4th title. For his performances he was given Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper of the tournament; he was also part of the FIFA.com Users' Dream Team. Júlio César received the award while wearing the shirt of
Iker Casillas Iker Casillas Fernández (; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper and currently works as a football commentator. Popularly dubbed "''San ...
, to make "a tribute for everything he did". On 2 June 2014, Júlio César was named in Brazil's squad for the 2014 World Cup on home soil once again. In the team's round of 16 match, Júlio César saved from
Mauricio Pinilla Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera (born 4 February 1984) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a striker. After beginning his career at Universidad de Chile, he signed for Inter Milan at the age of 19, but never appeared for ...
and Alexis Sánchez in the penalty shootout against Chile, sending Brazil through to a
quarter-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
against Colombia. His efforts earned him the Man of the Match award. However, he conceded five goals against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
in the first half of the
semi-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...
that the Germans won 7–1, and after Brazil lost 3–0 to the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in the third-place play-off match, Júlio César retired from the national team.


Style of play

Regarded by pundits as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime, and as one of Brazil's greatest goalkeepers ever, Júlio César was a well-rounded, commanding, and courageous goalkeeper, who was known for his athleticism, strength, and quick reflexes, as well as his agility, positional sense, shot-stopping, ability to read the game, and speed when rushing off his line; he also stood out for his ability to collect crosses and command his box effectively, despite his relatively average stature for a goalkeeper, standing at . A left-footed goalkeeper, he was also known for his ball skills and distribution, as well as for his penalty stopping abilities.


Personal life

Júlio César is a Roman Catholic. He married Brazilian model and actress Susana Werner at the
Candelária Church The Candelária Church ( pt, Igreja da Candelária, ) is an important historical Roman Catholic church in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in southeastern Brazil. It was built and decorated during a long period, from 1775 to the late 19th century. T ...
. Together, they have two children: Cauet, born in 2002, and Giulia, born in 2005. They both went to ACS Hillingdon International School. He is sponsored by Asics.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours


Club

Flamengo * Copa dos Campeões:
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
*
Campeonato Carioca The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Port., Rio de Janeiro State Championship), was started in 1906 and is the annual football championship in the state of Rio de Janeiro, B ...
:
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, 2000,
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
* Copa Mercosul:
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
* Copa dos Campeões Mundiais:
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
Inter Milan *
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 *
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
: 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11 *
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual association football, football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles ...
:
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...
,
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
*
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
: 2009–10 *
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
:
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
Benfica *
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 * Taça de Portugal: 2016–17 * Taça da Liga: 2014–15 * Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016


International

Brazil *
Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
:
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
*
FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, ...
:
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...


Individual

*
Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year The AIC Goalkeeper of the Year ( it, Migliore portiere AIC) was a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) since 1997 to 2010 as part of the Oscar del Calcio awards, given to the goalkeeper who had been considered to ha ...
: 2008–09, 2009–10 * UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year: 2009–10 * ESM Team of the Year: 2009–10 *Pirata d'Oro (Internazionale Player Of The Year): 2010 * FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Glove Award:
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
* FIFA Confederations Cup Dream Team:
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
*
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
Best Goalkeeper: 2014–15 * Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2020 * IFFHS CONMEBOL team of the decade 2011–2020


Records

*One of three Brazilian goalkeepers to be nominated for
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine '' France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (f ...
(shared with
Dida In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Diploma in Digital Applications (DiDA) is an optional information and communication technology (ICT) course, usually studied by Key Stage 4 or equivalent school students (aged 14-16). DiDA was intr ...
and
Alisson Álisson Ramsés Becker (born 2 October 1992), known as Alisson Becker or simply Alisson, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazil national team. He is widely regarded to ...
) *Brazil national team record for most minutes without conceding a goal (581 minutes, set in
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oc ...
) *The Brazilian goalkeeper with most penalty saves in
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
: 10 saves from 26 attempts *The Brazilian goalkeeper with most clean-sheets in Serie A: 101 in 228 matches *Most clean-sheets in a single Serie A season for Inter: 17 in 2009–10 season (shared with Samir Handanović)


References


External links


Internazionale official profile
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Julio Cesar 1979 births Living people People from Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro Brazilian Roman Catholics Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (state) Brazilian footballers Association football goalkeepers CR Flamengo footballers A.C. ChievoVerona players Inter Milan players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Toronto FC players S.L. Benfica footballers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Serie A players Premier League players Major League Soccer players Primeira Liga players UEFA Champions League winning players Brazil youth international footballers Brazil international footballers 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2004 Copa América players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 Copa América players 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players Copa América-winning players FIFA Confederations Cup-winning players Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate soccer players in Canada Expatriate footballers in Portugal