Omar de la Cruz (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Omar de la Cruz Mangas[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 26 August 2001[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Ibiza, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cibao | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Calahorra B | 14 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Calahorra | 4 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Ibiza IP | 37 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Peña Deportiva | 11 | (0) |
| 2024 | Patriotas | 5 | (0) |
| 2025– | Cibao | 17 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Dominican Republic under-23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2024 | Dominican Republic Olympic | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Dominican Republic | 6 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 December 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 November 2025 | |||
José Omar de la Cruz Mangas (born 26 August 2001) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga Dominicana de Fútbol club Cibao. Born in Spain, he represents the Dominican Republic internationally.
He began his career in the lower divisions of Spanish football, before joining Patriotas Boyacá of the Colombian Categoría Primera A in July 2024 and Cibao five months later. He played his first senior game for the Dominican Republic in June 2024 and represented the Olympic team at the 2024 games in France.
Club career
De la Cruz was born in Ibiza in the Balearic Islands, to a father from the Dominican Republic and a local mother.[2] He began playing futsal for CE Insular and then for Penya Blanc i Blava. Aged 14, he moved to live with a relative in Rubí in the Province of Barcelona in order to trial for UE Rubí, going on to further develop his game at Cerdanyola del Vallès FC and CF Damm before joining RCD Mallorca in his native islands.[3]
De la Cruz played for the reserve teams of Mallorca and CD Calahorra, the latter in the Tercera División, while also playing for the first team of the latter in Segunda División B in 2020–21.[2] In January 2022, he went back to his birthplace by signing for CD Ibiza Islas Pitiusas of the Segunda Federación.[4] Eighteen months later, he left the relegated club and remained in the fourth tier at SCR Peña Deportiva.[5]
In July 2024, De la Cruz left Spanish football for the first time, signing with Patriotas Boyacá in the Colombian Categoría Primera A.[6]
On 23 January 2025, De la Cruz signed for Cibao FC in the Liga Dominicana de Fútbol.[7]
International career
In November 2020, 19-year-old De la Cruz was called up for the Dominican Republic national football team for friendlies against Caribbean neighbours. However, the games were cancelled as many players were coming from Spain, where COVID-19 cases were increasing.[2]
De la Cruz played three games for the Dominican Republic national under-23 football team in March 2021, in qualification for the Olympic tournament in Japan. They lost to Mexico, the United States and Costa Rica. Weeks earlier, he was an unused substitute for the senior team in a friendly with Serbia.[5]
In May 2024, De la Cruz was called up to the senior national team, ahead of games against Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands at the start of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[8] He made his debut on 6 June in a 1–0 away loss to Jamaica, in the second minute of added time.[9]
De la Cruz was called up for the 2024 Olympic football in France. He became the first Ibizan to take part in the event's history.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Men's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024: Squad list" (PDF). FIFA. 24 July 2024. p. 2. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c García Arnáiz, Daniel (5 November 2020). "El COVID aplaza el sueño internacional de Omar de la Cruz, del Calahorra B" [COVID postpones the international dream of Omar de la Cruz, of Calahorra B] (in Spanish). Nueve Cuatro Uno. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Velayos Lorenzo, Diego (19 March 2024). "Omar de la Cruz, el sueño de poder ser el primer futbolista ibicenco en estar en los Juegos Olímpicos" [Omar de la Cruz, the dream of being the first Ibizan footballer to be in the Olympic Games]. Relevo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Sánchez Venzalá, T. (4 January 2022). "El CD Ibiza hace oficial el fichaje de Omar de la Cruz" [CD Ibiza confirm the signing of Omar de la Cruz]. Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Omar de la Cruz cambia el CD Ibiza por la Peña Deportiva" [Omar de la Cruz swaps CD Ibiza for Peña Deportiva]. El Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera (in Spanish). 20 June 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b García, Sergio (12 July 2024). "Omar de la Cruz: "Nos vemos con opciones de hacer historia"" [Omar de la Cruz: "We see ourselves with options to make history"]. Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Omar de la Cruz, nuevo refuerzo del mediocampo del Cibao FC" [Omar de la Cruz, new midfield addition to Cibao FC]. El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). 23 January 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ "Lista de Buena Fe de República Dominicana para primeros partidos de Eliminatorias Mundial 2026" [Final list of the Dominican Republic for the first matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers] (in Spanish). Dominican Football Federation. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ "Rep. Dominicana no pudo con Jamaica y cayó 1-0" [Dominican Rep. could not deal with Jamaica and fell 1–0] (in Spanish). Fútbol Red. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
External links
- Omar de la Cruz at Soccerway
- Omar de la Cruz at Olympics.com