Juan Cruz Real (born 8 October 1976) is an Argentine

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager and former player 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 ...

. Real had numerous stints in South American leagues, and finished off his career in the Canadian Professional Soccer League.

Playing career

Real began his career in his native country with Argentinian giants Independiente. In 1997, he signed with

Deportivo Español Club Social, Deportivo y Cultural Español de la República Argentina (commonly referred to as Deportivo Español) is an Argentine sports club from the Parque Avellaneda district of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, wh ...

, and the following season he went to Colombia to play for

Millonarios F.C. Millonarios Fútbol Club, known simply as Millonarios, is a Colombian professional football club based in Bogotá, that competes in the Categoría Primera A, top flight of football in Colombia. It is one of the most successful and iconic clubs i ...

In 1999, he returned to Argentina to sign with

Arsenal de Sarandí Arsenal Fútbol Club (), usually referred as Arsenal de Sarandí , or simply Arsenal, is an Argentine sports club from the Sarandí district of Avellaneda Partido, Greater Buenos Aires. The football team currently plays in Primera Nacional, t ...

. Soon after he featured in the lower Argentinian leagues with

Independiente Rivadavia Club Sportivo Independiente Rivadavia (mostly known simply as Independiente Rivadavia) is a football club from Mendoza, Argentina. The team currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, the first major league in the Argentine Football leag ...

, and

Almirante Brown de Arrecifes Club Atlético Almirante Brown (mostly known as Brown de Arrecifes) is an Argentine sports club from the city of Arrecifes, in Buenos Aires Province. Although other sports are practised there, Brown is mostly known for its football team, which cu ...

, winning the

Torneo Argentino A The Torneo Argentino A (in English "Argentine A Tournament") was one of the two leagues that formed the regionalised third level of the Argentine football league system. Clubs in the Torneo Argentino have indirect membership in AFA, while clubs ...

in 1999. Cruz Real had a stint overseas in the island of Haiti with Roulado in 2002, and returning to the South American continent in 2003 with

Unión San Felipe Unión San Felipe is a Chilean football club, their hometown is San Felipe in the V Región of Valparaíso. They play in the second level of the Chilean football league, the Primera B. The club was founded on October 16, 1956 with the merger ...

of Chile. In 2004, he went once more overseas to Canada to sign with the

Brampton Hitmen Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within the Peel Region. The city has a populati ...

of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. He made his debut for the club on September 10, 2004, in a match against

Toronto Supra SC Toronto is a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1994. The team was a member of the Canadian Soccer League, and played its final home games at Lamport Stadium in the city of Toronto, Ontario. The club found success early on since its inceptio ...

. He helped Brampton secure a post-season berth by finishing fourth in the Western Conference. He featured in the wildcard playoff match against

Toronto Croatia C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia (Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia) is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Football. The team's colours are red, white and b ...

, but were eliminated by a score of 3–1. The following year he signed with division rivals Hamilton Thunder. His achievements with Hamilton were clinching the division title, and qualifying for the post-season. He featured in the semifinal playoff match against Oakville Blue Devils, but lost by a score of 2–0. In 2009, he had a stint with

North York Astros The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, Ca ...

in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...

Managerial career

Cruz Real was named the manager for

Deportes Tolima Club Deportes Tolima S.A., commonly known as Deportes Tolima, or simply as Tolima, is a Colombian professional football club based in Ibagué, Tolima Department, that competes in the Categoría Primera A. Founded in 1954, the club has won the C ...

in 2023. In 2024, he returned to Argentina to be named the manager of

Club Atlético Belgrano Club Atlético Belgrano (; mostly known simply as Belgrano or Belgrano de Córdoba ) is an Argentine sports club from the city of Córdoba, Argentina, Córdoba, best known for its Association football, football team, which currently plays in th ...

. After nine months with Belgrano, it was mutually decided to relieve him.

References

External links

* * Profile a * {{DEFAULTSORT:Real, Juan Cruz 1976 births Living people Footballers from Tandil Argentine men's footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine Primera División players Club Atlético Independiente footballers Deportivo Español footballers Primera Nacional players Arsenal de Sarandí footballers Independiente Rivadavia footballers Almirante Brown de Arrecifes players Categoría Primera A players Millonarios F.C. players Ligue Haïtienne players Chilean Primera División players Unión San Felipe footballers Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Brampton Stallions players Hamilton Thunder players North York Astros players Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Chile Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Haiti Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia Expatriate men's footballers in Chile Expatriate men's footballers in Haiti Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Men's association football midfielders Argentine football managers Argentine expatriate football managers Estudiantes de Mérida managers Alianza Petrolera F.C. managers Jaguares de Córdoba managers América de Cali managers Atlético Junior managers Deportes Tolima managers Club Atlético Belgrano managers Venezuelan Primera División managers Categoría Primera A managers Argentine Primera División managers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Costa Rica Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Venezuela Expatriate soccer coaches in Canada Expatriate football managers in Costa Rica Expatriate football managers in Venezuela Expatriate football managers in Colombia