Juan Cruz Díaz Espósito[lower-alpha 1] (born 25 April 2000), known as Juan Cruz, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger for La Liga side Real Betis.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juan Cruz Díaz Espósito | ||
| Date of birth | (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Quilmes, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Betis B | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| 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– | Betis B | 32 | (6) |
| 2022– | Betis | 1 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2018 | Spain U18 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 October 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 June 2018 | |||
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]