/https://www.umdoisesportes.com.br/media/umdoisesportes/2025/11/01111622/julio-baptista-sonha-treinador.jpg "Former national team dreams of being a coach and says: “I was betrayed and ridiculed”")
Developed by São Paulo and with important spells at giants such as Real Madrid, Arsenal and Roma, the former Brazilian national team player, Julio Baptista is in Madrid, Spain, preparing for a new stage in his football career: coaching.
“I don’t see many. I would like to think it’s just a coincidence, but unfortunately it’s not. There are fewer opportunities. I hope I’m the one who reverses that trend. Never say never,” continued La Bestia, as he was known in European football.
The former striker also recalled with emotion his time at Roma, in Italy. He played for the team for three seasons, between 2008 and 2010, when he already had important spells at Sevilla, Real Madrid and Arsenal.
“Sometimes, it seems that in Rome they only remember the mistakes and not the successes”, lamented the player, who arrived in the Italian capital precisely when the then president of the club, Franco Sensi, died.
The start of the Italian team was successful, under the command of Luciano Spalletti. However, everything changed when the team changed coaches and announced the arrival of the controversial Claudio Ranieri.
“I felt betrayed. I was playing well in the Brazilian team, but I wasn’t part of Roma’s plans. They never explained anything to me. I left because I needed to feel like a player again”, recalled Baptista, who also criticized the way the matter was treated in the Italian press.