Daniel Alberto Cruz Castro (born 3 May 1981) is a Colombian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Career

Youth career

Cruz played his early football at the Academia de Fútbol Tucumán in his hometown of

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

. His father, a retired Argentinian professional football player, was his primary coaching influence. In 1998, Cruz was discovered by an

AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...

scout while training with the first team at

América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian professional football club based in Cali. It competes in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight league of Colombian football. The team plays its home games at ...

. Within two weeks, at 17, the young Colombian had signed with the Dutch club's youth reserve program.Daniel Cruz Bi
www.tucuman.com
/ref>

Ajax

Cruz made his first team debut for Ajax during the 2000–01 season after two years with the club's youth reserve program.Newcastle United Ma
www.newcastleunited-mad.co.uk
That season, he played in eleven matches for the Ajax first team before being sidelined with a knee injury. A head coaching change during his rehabilitation undermined the possibility of Cruz returning to the first team ranks at Ajax.Ajax turn to Koema
news.bbc.co.uk
/ref> Eventually he was loaned and later sold to Belgian club

Germinal Beerschot Koninklijke Beerschot Antwerpen Club (), simply known as Beerschot AC, was a Belgian football club based in southern Antwerp. Beerschot played in the Belgian Pro League from 1999–2000 (as Germinal Beerschot) until 2012–13, when they were ...

Germinal Beerschot

Since his move from Ajax in 2002, until the expiration of his final contract with the club in 2011, Cruz established himself as one of the most prolific players in Germinal Beerschot club history. His time there spanned nearly a decade – having made over 250 appearances for the club in all competitions.Dynamo bring Colombian Cruz on tria
www.houstondynamo.com
/ref> Cruz was considered a trendsetter in the

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 team ...

. The South American midfielder was known as a play-maker with charisma and modesty.Daniel Cruz Spelers Inf
www.nieuwsblad.be
In 2005, Cruz captained Germinal Beerschot to a

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (french: link=no, Coupe de Belgique; nl, Beker van België []; german: link=no, Belgischer Fußballpokal) is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgia ...

title.Cofidis Cup Past Winner
www.cofidiscup.be
/ref>

Lierse

After winning the Belgian Cup in 2005, Cruz shocked fans and the media when he announced that he had signed a contract with rival club

Lierse S.K. Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring (), often simply known as Lierse, was a Belgian professional football club from the city of Lier in the Antwerp province. Lierse have won four championship titles and two Belgian Cups. Lierse was one of the six Be ...

for the following season. The deal was rumored to be one of the largest contracts in

history.Nieuwe zaak-Cru
www.nieuwsblad.be
/ref> Financial troubles at Lierse halfway through the 2005–06 season led to the club actually selling Cruz back to Germinal Beerschot after only six months of his three-year deal.Cruz van Lierse terug naar Beerschot
www.nieuwsblad.be
/ref>

FC Dallas

On 4 August 2011, it was announced that Cruz had signed with FC Dallas of American

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

.FC Dallas add veteran Colombian playmaker Daniel Cru
www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/04/
/ref> Cruz scored his first goal for his new club on 14 September 2011, in a 1–1 draw against Tauro FC. The goal was just 27 seconds into the match officially making it the quickest strike in FC Dallas club history.CCL Recap: FC Dallas 1, Tauro FC
http://www.fcdallas.com/news/2011/09/
/ref>

Personal life

Cruz is the son of retired Argentinian football player José Luis Cruz who played for

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate, commonly known as River Plate, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Núñez, Buenos Aires, Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city ...

and

.José Luis Cruz Bi
www.tucuman.com
/ref> In January 2009, Voetbal Magazine produced a cover story featuring an extensive interview with Cruz. The article highlighted the Colombian's role at his club, his recent injuries, and his love for Germinal Beerschot.GBA News Archiv
www.germinalbeerschot.be
/ref>

Honours

Beerschot A.C. *

: 2005 Belgian Cup Final, 2004–05

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Daniel Living people 1981 births Colombian men's footballers Footballers from Cali Men's association football midfielders Lierse S.K. players Eredivisie players Belgian Pro League players Major League Soccer players América de Cali footballers AFC Ajax players Beerschot A.C. players FC Dallas players Deportivo Cali footballers S.K. Beveren players Colombian expatriate men's footballers Colombian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Colombian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States