Auro Jr

Auro Alvaro da Cruz Junior (born 23 January 1996), known as Auro Jr. or just Auro, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Santos, on loan from Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Club career Brazil Auro Jr. began his club career with São Paulo in 2010 with the youth side. In 2014, he made his senior debut, earning a starting role with the club as a teenager under coach Muricy Ramalho, but his standing fell after Ramalho's departure in 2015, relegating him to the bench. After struggling to make appearances with the first team, he went on a series of loans. In 2016, he signed on loan with Clube Atlético Linense. Later in the same season, he was set to join Sport Club do Recife on loan (including being introduced by the club as a new signing), however, he was prevented from joining the club due to a Brazilian rule that prevents a player from representing three clubs during the same year, as he had already made appearances for License and São Paulo in 2016. Instead, he returned to São Paulo, where he mainly featured with the U-20 team, winning two U-20 titles that season. The following year, in 2017, he joined América Mineiro on loan, making a total of 16 appearances between Brazil's Primeira Liga, Mineiro 1, and Copa do Brasil. He started off well with Minero, but suffered a knee injury, requiring him to miss time due to an operation. He subsequently returned to São Paulo in 2018, after his loan spell had ended. Toronto FC On 13 February 2018, it was announced that Auro Jr. had been signed on loan by Major League Soccer club Toronto FC with an option to buy. He made the decision to come to Toronto after speaking to his São Paulo teammate and former Toronto FC striker Gilberto, turning down opportunities to play in South America, Portugal and Spain (including with La Liga club CD Leganés) in favour of joining Toronto. He made his club debut on 20 February 2018, in a 2–0 away win against the Colorado Rapids in the first leg of their round of 16 CONCACAF Champions League tie. In his debut season with the club, Auro made 28 appearances across all competitions, registering five assists. Auro Jr. playing for Toronto FC On 17 December 2018, Toronto opted to purchase Auro Jr. permanently from São Paulo. In 2019, he was determined to be the best right-back in the league according to Opta advanced statistics. He scored his first goal in a pre-season exhibition match on 1 April 2021, from a penalty kick, against Columbus Crew SC. International career At international level, Auro Jr. has represented Brazil at U-17, U-20, and U-21 level. He earned his first callup to play in the 2013 South American U-17 Championship, playing in all nine of his team's matches, en route to a third place finish. At the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, in the quarter-finals against Mexico, he scored his team's tenth penalty kick during the shootout which they lost 11–10, after the game ended 1–1 after extra time. He was called up for the U-21 squad at the 2014 Toulon Tournament, where he was part of the championship winning team. He was called up to the U-20 team for the 2015 South American U-20 Championship, playing in three matches. Style of play A versatile defender, Auro Jr. is usually deployed as a right-back, but is capable of playing on either flank. Regarding Auro Jr.'s playing style, Tim Bezbatchenko – Toronto FC's senior vice-president of soccer operations and general manager – said in 2018 that he is "...a very capable two-way player and an important part of our team. Auro Jr. is an attacking threat on the wing who also puts in solid defensive work."