Julio Baptista, the Brazilian icon who guides the hopes of Real Valladolid B team

The legendary midfielder stays in football as the Valladolid youth team coach
by
Martín O'Donnell
2023-06-23 17:16:07

Julio Baptista will stay in football as the coach of the Real Valladolid youth team. The club recently announced that the former Brazilian player will continue to manage the reserve team, known as Real Valladolid Promesas.

Baptista, who has played at the highest level as an attacking midfielder, will enter his third season as reserve team manager and his fifth year with the club since joining in 2019 as assistant coach. Despite the team’s relegation to Primera RFEF last year and the lack of promotion this season, the club chaired by Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário, opted to keep Baptista in his post.

READ MORE

++ Ronaldo Nazario says Messi deserves to win 2023 Ballon d’Or
++ Brazil celebrates 53 years of winning the 1970 FIFA World Cup
++ Vasco deals with violent fan riots after Brazilian league defeat

Changes to Baptista’s technical staff at Real Valladolid

Both the club and Baptista want to continue with the significant development work that is underway within the reserve squad, with several young players having already made their first-team debuts. Those who didn’t are expected to finally have the opportunity to join the team led by Paulo Pezzolano in LaLiga SmartBank, the second Spanish tier.

In addition to this announcement, Real Valladolid have also made changes to Baptista’s technical staff. Goalkeeping coaches Adrián Mondéjar and analyst David Crespo are leaving their posts, while José Luis Rueda, Baptista’s assistant, remain by his side.

As a player, Baptista had his best years with Sevilla in Spain. The midfielder also played for Real Madrid, Arsenal and Sao Paulo FC, among other clubs. For the Brazilian national team, Baptista shone in winning the 2007 Copa América, scoring a decisive goal in the final against Argentina.