Juan Manuel Cruz

Juan Manuel Cruz (born 19 July 1999) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for club Hellas Verona.

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.

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".