Júlio César

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Júlio César joined Inter Milan in July 2005, signing a three-year contract for €2.45 million after a deal with Chievo. He made his official debut on 10 August 2005 in the Champions League third qualifying round against Shakhtar Donetsk, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win. His Serie A debut came on 28 August against Treviso, a 3–0 win with another clean sheet. In the 2006–07 season, he played 32 league matches as Inter won the title with 97 points, setting a record for most consecutive matches without defeat (31). He kept 12 clean sheets and conceded 30 goals, with Inter losing only once. In 2007–08, he received his first red card for Inter in a 1–1 draw with Udinese, but finished the season with 17 clean sheets in 35 Serie A matches, a personal record. He won another Scudetto, contributing a clean sheet in the decisive last match against Parma. In 2008–09, he made his 100th Serie A appearance in a 1–0 win over Lecce, and Inter finished first with 84 points, 10 ahead of Juventus, with César equaling his personal best of 17 clean sheets in 36 matches. In July 2009, ESPN Brasil named him the best player of the 2008–09 season, and he received the Prêmio Futebol no Mundo award for the best Brazilian footballer playing outside Brazil.

In Their Own Story

The 2009–10 season was the peak of Júlio César's career. He played 54 matches in all competitions. In November 2009, he signed a contract extension until 2014. On 24 January 2010, in the Derby della Madonnina against Milan, he saved a penalty from Brazil teammate Ronaldinho as Inter won 2–0 with nine men. Two days before the Champions League round of 16 first leg against Chelsea, he was involved in a car accident that left him bruised and with facial lacerations, but he started the game and made a decent overall performance as Inter won 2–1. In the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, he saved several shots, including one against Lionel Messi in the second leg that he himself called 'career defining'; Inter won 3–2 on aggregate. On 5 May, he made an excellent performance against Roma as Inter won 1–0 to claim the Coppa Italia. Eleven days later, he won his fifth consecutive Scudetto as Inter won at Siena to finish two points ahead of Roma. On 22 May in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, he made vital saves against Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben as Inter won 2–0, winning their first European title in 45 years. Inter became the first Italian club to win the treble. His 17 clean sheets in the league earned him Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive year, becoming only the third goalkeeper to win it more than once. He also won the UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year award. Former Inter and Italy goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca stated his belief that Júlio César was the best goalkeeper in the world. In the 2010–11 season, he changed his squad number from 12 to 1. He won his 4th Supercoppa Italiana on 21 August 2010, as Inter beat Roma 3–1. Despite a torn thigh injury discovered in November 2010, he recovered in time for the FIFA Club World Cup, keeping clean sheets in the semi-final against Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and the final against TP Mazembe, as Inter won 3–0 to complete the Quintuple. He ended 2010 being named second best goalkeeper of the year by IFFHS, behind Iker Casillas.

Did You Know?

• Júlio César saved a penalty from Brazil teammate Ronaldinho in the Derby della Madonnina on 24 January 2010, as Inter won 2–0 with nine men.
• Two days before a Champions League round of 16 match against Chelsea in 2010, he was in a car accident that left him bruised and with facial lacerations, but he still started and Inter won 2–1.
• He called a save against Lionel Messi in the 2010 Champions League semi-final second leg 'career defining'.
• He was the third goalkeeper to win the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award more than once, winning it in both 2009 and 2010.
• In 2010, he was named second best goalkeeper in the world by IFFHS, behind only Iker Casillas.