Julio Arca

Where is Julio Arca now?

A cult hero in the North-East after playing for both Middlesbrough and Sunderland, Julio Arca retired from playing professional football in 2013 at the age of 32.

Starting his professional career in 1998 with Argentinos Junior he went onto make a total of 398 appearances for just the three teams winning the League Championship with Sunderland in 2005. During his time with the Mackens he captained the Argentina under-20’s side which won the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Although he didn’t win much team silverware in England he did win a number of individual awards including Sunderland’s Young Player of the Year in 2001 and Middlesbrough’s Player of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year awards in 2010 and 2011.

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After hanging up his boots Arca realised that he wasn’t ready to quit playing completely and joined a Sunday League side for two years before joining Northern League League 2 side South Shields where he enjoyed considerable success winning three promotions and three cup wins including the FA Vase before retiring for a second time in 2018.

During his time playing for South Shields he also started working towards completing his UEFA coaching badges and returned to former side Sunderland to assist with the coaching of their under-15’s side.

After a spell coaching at a North-East soccer school, Arca relocated back to his native Argentina where he set up his new business Premier Sport Division, which helps sports people to relocate, transporting their lives across the world when they join new clubs.

He returned to the UK in April 2023 to join newly-promoted South Shields as manager but his tenure only lasted eight months before he was dismissed from his post following poor results.

Back to Newcastle United / Sunderland



Julio Arca: Premier League Statistics

NationalityArgentina
PositionMidfielder
Appearances149
Goals Scored8
Yellow Cards27
Red Cards0
Premier League Teams Played forMiddlesbrough, Sunderland

Statistics courtesy of www.premierleague.com

Last Updated on 2 January 2024 by Admin