Julio Andrés Arca (born 31 January 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer, who played as a left-back or central midfielder. He was most recently manager of South Shields.
Arca spent the majority of his career in the North East of England, firstly for Sunderland from 2000 to 2006, and then for Middlesbrough from 2006 to 2013. He retired from professional football following his release from Middlesbrough, and subsequently played Sunday League football for Willow Pond for the 2014–15 season. He later signed for South Shields, in addition to his return to Sunderland as part of the club's youth coaching staff.
During his professional career, he was seen as an attack-minded player, with his key attributes including good long and short passing, as well as being a hard worker. Throughout his career at Sunderland and Middlesbrough, Arca has gained a cult following among supporters at Sunderland, Middlesbrough and South Shields.
Club career Argentinos Juniors Born in Quilmes, Argentina, Arca began playing football when he was eleven and joined Argentinos Juniors when he was fourteen. He went on to progress at the Argentinos Juniors’ academy and made his debut three years later at age seventeen; which saw his side lose 7–1 loss against Independiente. Arca made thirty–six appearances during his time there, having broken into the first team at age eighteen. He said playing in Argentina was tough, but acknowledged that it gave him a “great education”.
Sunderland Sunderland's manager Peter Reid signed Arca in 2000 from Argentinos Juniors with a £3.5 million five-year deal, while holding off competition from Newcastle United and Leeds United. It came after Peter Reid spotted him in a U21 match playing against England at Craven Cottage and tracked him until completing the signing in July 2000. Upon joining the club, Arca was Reid's most expensive signing of that summer and was then second only behind Stefan Schwarz as the club's record buy. The youngster was tipped for the brightest of futures and full international honours.
Having missed the first three league matches, due to receiving his Italian passport, he was an immediate success, scoring on his debut at the Stadium of Light against West Ham United. Arca then helped the side keep four consecutive clean sheets throughout October. The following month, he only played three matches, including scoring against Manchester United, due to his international commitment with Argentina U20. Arca's third goal of the season came on 1 January 2001, in a 4–1 win over Ipswich Town. However, he missed five matches throughout January because of his continuous international commitment with Argentina U20. It wasn't until on 10 February 2001 when Arca made his return to the first team, in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool. Arca played for his previous club and national team at left-back but was successfully converted to left midfield by Reid. Arca scored three times in thirty appearances for the Black Cats in his first season in the Premiership. For his performance, he won the club's Young Player of the Year award. Arca also became a fan favourite among Sunderland supporters.
At the start of the 2001–02 season, Arca suffered a setback when he suffered a knee injury that saw him miss two matches. He made his return from injury, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win over Blackburn Rovers on 8 September 2001. Following this, he regained his first-team place, playing in the midfield position. In a 1–1 draw against Arsenal, Arca scored a header from two minutes into injury time but was denied by referee Mike Riley after the assistant referee flagged for offside. Riley's decision to disallow Arca's goal was criticised by then-club captain Michael Gray and Manager Peter Reid. Despite that setback, Arca managed to score his first goal of the season in a 2–1 win over Leeds United on 18 November 2001. He did not manage to rediscover his form of the previous season and was out of action from February. Because of his trouble with a series of niggling injuries, Arca's 2001–02 campaign was disappointing like so many other of Sunderland's players.
At the start of the 2002–03 campaign, Arca continued to recover from the injuries he sustained from the previous season. His first appearance of the season came on 28 August 2002, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 win over Leeds United. Arca, who had then played 54 games for the club, stated his determination to get back to his best – both in fitness and form, especially playing under the management of Reid's successor, Howard Wilkinson. Due to being a fan favourite among Sunderland supporters, they chanted "Julio, Julio when he was not in the squad". Despite this, Arca scored his first goal of the season, in the second round of the League Cup, in a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 1 October 2002. He was sidelined for two months, due to an injury he sustained during the club's reserve match against Manchester United Reserve. After returning from injury in December, Arca didn't make his return to the first team until 11 January 2003, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 0–0 draw against Blackburn Rovers. Three days later on 14 January 2003, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup replay. Since returning to the first team, Arca had a run in of first team for the rest of the season despite being on the sidelines on three occasions. However, in a match against West Bromwich Albion on 19 April 2003, he came on as a 19th-minute substitute, as he was unable to help the club overcome the result and they were relegated to the Football League First Division, finishing at the bottom of the Premier League. At the end of the 2002–03 season, Arca went on to make eighteen appearances and scoring twice in all competitions.
At the start of the 2003–04 season, Arca missed the first three matches, due to being linked to a move away and leaving Sunderland. His first appearance of the season came on 23 August 2003 against Preston North End, starting the whole game in the left–back position, in a 2–0 win. Having regained his first team place, playing in the left–back position, he kept two clean sheets in the next two matches, including scoring his first goal of the season, in a 4–0 win over Bradford City. Since returning to the first team, Arca regained his first-team place, playing in the left–back position. Manager Mick McCarthy and Gary Breen praised his recent performances for making a significant impact. His second goal of the season came on 27 September 2003, in a 2–0 win over Reading. A week later on 4 October 2003, however, he was sent–off for the second bookable offence, in a 1–0 win over Sheffield United. Arca was sent–off for a second bookable offence once again two months later on 2 December 2003, in a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic, resulting in a two-match ban. After returning to the first team, he scored three goals throughout January. In the January transfer window Arca was linked a move away from Sunderland, prompting Manager McCarthy to rule out the sale. Arca himself showed his loyalty to the club, electing to stay Following this, he then scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Walsall on 3 March 2004. However, Arca missed five matches, due to a knee injury he sustained in a 1–0 win over Sheffield United in a FA Cup match. It wasn't until 27 March 2004 that he made his return to the starting line-up, in a 2–1 win over Derby County. Having regained his first team place for the next five matches, he suffered a knee injury that saw him sidelined for the rest of the 2003–04 season. At the end of the 2003–04 season, Arca went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scored six times in all competitions. For his performance, he was named PFA Team of the Year for the First Division for the 2003–04 season.
Ahead of the 2004–05 season, Arca was linked a move away from Sunderland, as Manager McCarthy predicted that he would leave the club should they failed to achieve promotion back to the Premier League. Despite this, Arca declared that he was happy to stay at Sunderland, and opened talks with the club over a new contract. At the start of the 2004–05 season, he continued as a first team regular, still playing in midfield. It wasn't until on 14 September 2004 when Arca scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Nottingham Forest. However, he missed two matches, due to a sustained leg injury. After returning to the first team from injury, Arca then scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 30 October 2004; followed–up by providing a hat–trick assists, in a 3–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. During a 2–0 defeat against Millwall on 5 November 2004, Arca made V-signs to Millwall supporters on three occasions after being involved in a tussle with Kevin Muscat; leading the Football Association reported the allegations to the police. It was announced on 12 November 2004 that he signed a three–year contract, keeping him until 2007. By the end of 2004, he added two more goals, which were against Burnley and Leeds United. After being sidelined with another injury at the beginning of January, Arca didn't score again until on 19 February 2005, in a 2–1 loss against Brighton & Hove Albion. In a follow–up match against Rotherham United, he suffered an injury and was substituted in the 33rd minute, resulting in him missing two matches. It wasn't until on 12 March 2005 when he made his return as a substitute against Crewe Alexandra and set up the only goal in the game, in a 1–0 win. In a follow–up match, Arca scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 5–1 win over Plymouth Argyle. He later scored three more goals, including two victories over Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United. Throughout the season, Arca was arguably their best player as they returned to the Premiership under manager Mick McCarthy, winning the Football League Championship in 2004–05. At the end of the 2004–05 season, he went on to make forty–two appearances and scoring nine times in all competitions. For his performance, Arca, once again, was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the Championship team in the 2004–05 season.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, with Sunderland back in the Premier League, Arca continued to remain as first team regular, playing in the left–back position. However, the club made a poor start to the season, losing the first five league matches. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough, giving Sunderland their first Premier League since 2002. However, Arca suffered a toe injury during training and missed two matches. It wasn't until on 23 October 2005 when he returned to the first team, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 3–2 loss against rivals, Newcastle United. His return was short–lived when he once again injured his toe after the match and was sidelined for a month. It wasn't until on 10 December 2005 when Arca returned to the starting line-up, playing the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against Charlton Athletic. Since returning to the first team, he quickly regained his place in the starting eleven, playing either the left–back position or midfield position over the season. In the January transfer window, Arca was linked a move away from the club, which he responded by stating that he has no intention of leaving Sunderland. Amid to the transfer move, Arca then scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Brentford in the fourth round of the FA Cup. During a 4–1 loss against rivals Newcastle United on 17 April 2006, he collided with Alan Shearer, resulting in him tearing his knee injury. However, he suffered injuries on three occasions later in the 2005–06 season. Sunderland were relegated again in the 2005–06 season. At the end of the season, Arca went on to make twenty–six appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.