360: Julio Arca, Sunderland, Merlin’s F.A. Premier League 2001 Official Sticker Collection

On my way back from seeing the inimitable Dave Hause in Islington last September I saw a poster on the platform of Seven Sisters’ station with an advert for ‘Top London Schools. No Fees.” Perhaps it was the unwise Sunday night pints or the impact of a night of genuinely moving music from Philadelphia’s finest but the advert triggered me on a number of levels. As a product of and long time employee of comprehensive schools in London I was offended by the notion that you would need to list such establishments as, to borrow Arthur Conan Doyle’s words, “beacons of light” amongst the capital’s educational establishments. It also angered me that none of the schools listed were anywhere near the station itself implying that this particular corner of Tottenham was in someway not where you would want to let your kids do their learning. Who was this advert really aimed at? As the doors closed and I continued on up the Victoria Line the words of Hause’s ‘The Great Depression’ snuck into my head: “just give me one place left that reminds me of home”.

London, for those of you not so familiar with it, can be incredibly tribal. When I first moved north of the Thames for work my old man, who has lived in a square mile his entire life, liked to inform me whenever we could see the Crystal Palace Tower from across the city that I was staring back at “civilisation”. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-teens, and engaged in Lewisham’s new youth participation initiative, that I really spoke to anyone of my age from a different part of the borough to me. At the head of this new project was a man called Dennis Hunter who I am proud to say was one of the best influences on my life and became a close friend. Den was originally from the North East and, despite moving to London as a teenager, retained his accent and passion for Sunderland AFC which was almost as infectious as his commitment to helping young people in the borough he had made his home. As Crystal Palace and Sunderland battled it out in the Division One Play-Offs in the 2003/04 season we bonded over a mutual dislike of Jason McAteer but, despite the Mackems’ penalty shootout loss, there was never anything but praise for their Argentine star Julio Arca.

Arca arrived at The Stadium of Light in July 2000 to bolster a squad that had finished in an impressive seventh in the Premier League the season before thanks to ‘Super’ Kevin Phillips insatiable appetite for goals. He instantly endeared himself to the Black Cats’ faithful with a debut goal against West Ham United and also netted against eventual league champions Manchester United as Sunderland matched their previous campaign’s performance. Arca was named as the club’s Young Player of the Year but endured an injury blighted 2001/02 season as Sunderland limped to a seventeenth-placed finish. As illness and injury limited his game time in the following campaign the Mackems’ fans continued to sing his name but his return to the first team came too late to save them from relegation.

Despite intense speculation over his future Arca stayed with Sunderland and earned himself a place in the PFA’s Division One Team of the Year as the Black Cats missed out on promotion straight back to the Premier League thanks to penalty shootout drama. Manager Mick McCarthy fully expected the Argentine to depart but Arca stated his desire to sign a new contract due to his love for the club and its fans. He chipped in with nine goals to help Sunderland to the newly rebranded Championship title. Once again injuries reared their ugly head and Arca was in and out of a side which finished the season a distant bottom of the table with only fifteen points. One of his last actions for the Mackems was accidentally ending Alan Shearer’s career three games ahead of schedule during a 4-1 defeat in the Tyne-Wear Derby. After six years on Wearside Arca’s time at the Stadium of Light came to an end.

Having arrived at the tender age of 19, however, Arca had made the North East his home and became future England manager Gareth Southgate’s first signing at local rivals Middlesbrough. Boro’s previous campaign had ended with a UEFA Cup final and manager Steve McClaren getting the England job but the club only managed to finish twelfth in the 2006/07 season. Arca broke his foot on debut but still managed to make 28 appearances in all competitions as he was shifted into central midfield. Speculation mounted that he would make a return to the Stadium of Light following Sunderland’s promotion and such was the fondness he was still viewed with by Sunderland’s fans he was cheered off the pitch when they met Middlesbrough in the 2007/08 campaign despite the fact Arca had scored the first equaliser in a 2-2 draw. The injury he sustained in the game, however, ended the transfer talk and he was made Middlesbrough club captain briefly at the start of 2008. Another injury blighted campaign followed in 2008/09 and Boro were relegated to the Championship.

Boro’s relegation presented my sister’s in-laws with a reason to visit Selhurst Park and, in November 2009, we headed en masse to witness an innocuous mid-table clash with Palace. Dennis, by now a firm family friend, came along too mainly to wind up my sister about where her loyalties lay for the game but also to remind us all of the quality of Julio Arca who started the game on the bench for recently appointed Gordon Strachan’s side. Palace ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a lovely goal from Darren Ambrose and a virtuoso performance from Arca’s compatriot Julian Speroni in the Eagles’ goal. Arca had stated that he may look elsewhere for employment at the start of the season if first team opportunities were to be at a premium but he went on to make 36 appearances across the campaign. Although Boro struggled to push for promotion from the Championship Arca impressed in the 2010/11 season and earned the club’s supporters’ and players’ Player of the Year awards. With his contract up he had a chance to return to Argentina with Boca Juniors but chose instead to remain with Middlesbrough on reduced wages and made 33 appearances as the club narrowly missed out on the play-offs. After just three more games for the Boro first team in the following season a toe injury ruled Arca out for several months and, having failed to regain his place, he retired from professional football in 2013.

This would be the logical time in one of these posts for a quick round up of a player’s career but Julio Arca was not done there. Not content with being a much loved star of two of the North East’s big clubs, and after struggling to settle back in Argentina, he turned out for Sunderland based pub side Willow Pond before signing for the Northern League’s South Shields in 2015. Across three years he helped the side to three promotions and three cup victories including the 2017 FA Vase at Wembley where he captained the club to a 4-0 victory over Cleethorpes Town. Prior to the final he stated that “the nearest I got to [Wembley] as a professional was driving past the stadium a few times” and that it would be special to lift a trophy there. Although Arca is now back in Argentina running a company helping sportspeople with relocation he will forever be a favourite son of the North East. One of his biggest admirers, Dennis Hunter, was a proud Mackem but will be forever remembered for the incredible work he did for the young people of Lewisham for the best part of half a century. This one’s for him.