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 (on loan from Betis) | ||
Number | 11 | ||
Youth career | |||
2010–2018 | Málaga | ||
2016–2017 | → San Félix (loan) | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2017–2021 | Málaga B | 64 | (11) |
2018–2021 | Málaga | 4 | (0) |
2021–2023 | Betis B | 38 | (7) |
2022– | Betis | 11 | (0) |
2024– | → Leganés (loan) | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2018 | Spain U18 | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 January 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 June 2018 |
Juan Cruz Díaz Espósito [a] (born 25 April 2000), known as Juan Cruz, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger for CD Leganés, on loan from Real Betis.
Born 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]