Juan Cruz Díaz Espósito[a] (born 25 April 2000), known as Juan Cruz, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as either as an attacking midfielder or a winger for CD Leganés.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juan Cruz Díaz Espósito | ||
| Date of birth | 25 April 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Quilmes, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Leganés | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2016 | Málaga | ||
| 2016–2017 | San Félix | ||
| 2017–2018 | Málaga | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Málaga B | 64 | (11) |
| 2018–2021 | Málaga | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Betis B | 38 | (7) |
| 2022–2024 | Betis | 11 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Leganés (loan) | 16 | (4) |
| 2024– | Leganés | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Spain U18 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 June 2018 | |||
Club career
editBorn in Quilmes, Argentina, Cruz grew up in Rincón de la Victoria, Málaga, Andalusia,[1] and joined Málaga CF's youth setup in 2010.[2] He made his senior debut with the reserves on 19 November 2017, coming on as a second-half substitute for Nacho Abeledo in a 5–1 Tercera División home routing of Martos CD.[3]
Cruz made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 19 May 2018, replacing Mehdi Lacen in a 0–1 home loss against Getafe CF.[4] On 1 July 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Real Betis after his deal with Málaga expired; he was assigned to the B-team.[5]
On 21 October 2022, five days after his first team debut for the Verdiblancos, Cruz signed a new contract with the club until 2025.[6] He scored his first professional goal nine days later, netting the opener in a 2–0 away win over Real Sociedad.[7]
Definitely promoted to the first team of Betis for the 2023–24 season, Cruz only featured rarely before moving to Segunda División side CD Leganés on loan on 1 February 2024.[8] After helping in their promotion to the top tier as champions, he signed a permanent four-year contract with the club on 12 June.[9]
Honours
edit- Leganés
- Spain U18
- Mediterranean Games: Gold Medal 2018
- Individual
Notes
edit- ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Díaz and the second or maternal family name is Espósito.
References
edit- ^ "Juan Cruz: "I'm here, available to the coach for whatever he needs"". Málaga CF. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "Álex Robles y Juan Cruz, los únicos brotes verdes del Málaga" [Álex Robles and Juan Cruz, the only green shoots of Málaga] (in Spanish). Marca. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "El Malagueño pone la guinda al domingo (5–1)" [Malagueño top the Sunday (5–1)] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "Remy hurga en la pesadilla del Málaga" [Remy digs deeper on Málaga's nightmare] (in Spanish). Marca. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "El Betis Deportivo ficha a Juan Cruz, extremo del Málaga, hasta 2023" [Betis Deportivo sign Juan Cruz, Málaga winger, until 2023] (in Spanish). ABC. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Juan Cruz firma su primer contrato profesional y el Betis ata a su nueva perla" [Juan Cruz signs his first professional contract and Betis tie up their new pearl] (in Spanish). Estadio Deportivo. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Juan Cruz, tras su primer gol en Primera División: "Es una alegría inmensa"" [Juan Cruz, after his first goal in Primera División: "It is an immense joy"] (in Spanish). Diario de Sevilla. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "El Real Betis y el CD Leganés llegan a un acuerdo para la cesión de Juan Cruz" [Real Betis and CD Leganés reach an agreement for the loan of Juan Cruz] (in Spanish). Real Betis. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "C.D. Leganes signs Juan Cruz for the next four seasons". CD Leganés. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Juan Cruz wins Goal of the Month for August". La Liga. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.