Juan Manuel Cruz (born 19 July 1999) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward.
Early life Cruz was born on 19 July 1999 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The son of Argentina international Julio Cruz, he moved from Argentina to the Netherlands and Italy at a young age before returning to Argentina, where he attended St. George's College in Argentina before attending the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, where he studied accounting.
Career As a youth player, Cruz joined the youth academy of Argentine side Banfield, where he started his senior career and made sixty-four league appearances and scored ten goals while playing for the club.
In 2023, Cruz signed for Serie A side Hellas Verona. On 2 October 2023, he debuted for the club during a 0–0 away draw to Torino in the league. On 3 February 2025, Cruz moved on loan to Cosenza in Serie B. On 5 August 2025, Cruz was loaned to Serie C club Trento.
On 31 August 2026, Cruz and Hellas Verona terminated their contract by mutual consent.
Style of play Cruz plays as a forward and is right-footed. Italian news website Numero Diez wrote in 2023 that he is a "very physical centre forward... he also combines physicality with speed and good technique".
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