Julio – El Jardinero

The man for the big occasion.

From Ronaldo to Crespo, from Crespo to Cruz. In less than twelve months, from August 2002 to August 2003, the Inter number nine shirt seemed to carry an almost unbearable weight. Banfield, River Plate, Feyenoord and Bologna. Not exactly an Inter pedigree, some whispered. Six years and 75 goals later, we can say it loud and clear: they were all wrong. After all, as someone once said of strikers, goals are not just counted, they are weighed. And if there was one man who specialised in scoring the really important ones, it was Julio Cruz, who turns 54 today.

His favourite opponents throughout his career? Juventus, against whom he scored ten times. Twice with Feyenoord in the Champions League, once with Bologna and no fewer than seven times with Inter. Some of those goals were unforgettable, such as his brace in Turin on 29 November 2003. Or the one in 2005, again in Turin, when he soared through the air to score the winning goal in a 1-0 victory.

Robert Horry, a forward who played for several NBA teams, including the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, won seven titles, a feat unmatched by any other player from the 1980s onwards. He was nicknamed ‘Big Shot Rob’ because he always delivered in the decisive moments. It would have been a fitting nickname for Julio too: Big Shot. After all, Juventus was not the only big-name victim on his list. AC Milan were there too. Cruz scored against the Rossoneri in three consecutive derbies, and over six seasons he won four Scudetti, two Coppa Italia titles and three Supercoppa trophies. There was just one season without silverware: his first, which gave him time to find his feet. After that, he was the best backup striker on the planet. Very few players could make such an impact on a game as he could. Take the derby in March 2007, a match that seemed cursed. Crespo, chosen by Mancini to start, squandered at least four clear chances. Ronaldo, wearing the Rossoneri shirt, responded to the jeers with a world-class goal. 1-0 down, with half-time looming and nerves jangling, Inter made a change. Cruz on for Crespo. Julio needed just eleven seconds to level the score and send the Meazza into raptures. He then set up Ibrahimovic for the winner, sealing a 2-1 victory.

Big Shot. Although Julio already had a nickname: El Jardinero, the gardener. Back in his Banfield days, while still in the youth team, he spent some free time driving a lawnmower. Then he scored a crucial goal against Boca. The journalists wanted to know who he was. ‘Oh, that guy who used to drive the tractor, remember? El Jardinero.’ The nickname stuck.

Today, Cruz remains close to Inter, closer than ever, in fact. You can often see him on the touchline for InterTV before the Nerazzurri take to the pitch. Because his heart has always belonged to just two colours.

Happy Birthday, Julio.