Juan Emmanuel Culio (born 30 August 1983) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is one of the most successful foreign players who had ever played in Liga I in Romania. In this regard, he had won six championships, all with CFR Cluj.
Born in Mercedes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Culio began his football career at Flandria after being scouted in the street when he was nineteen. He previously went on trial at Argentinos Juniors despite living 100 km from the capital but failed to earn a contract after his grandmother, who gave him money to travel at Argentinos Juniors, suffered an illness and gave up football as a result. Throughout his time at Flandria, he quickly worked his through to the first team, establishing himself in the starting eleven for the side. He also scored once for the side during his time there.
In 2004, Culio moved to Almagro, where he received a handful of first team appearances, making eight appearances.
On 13 July 2005, he joined Independiente. Culio made his Club Atlético Independiente debut on 7 August 2005, in a 4–2 win over Lanús. However, he only made one appearances for the side, as his time at the club was overshadowed by injuries. It was announced that he was expected to leave the club following the 2005–06 season.
On 25 July 2006, Culio then joined Racing Club ahead of the 2006–07 season. However, he spent the first four months on the substitute bench. On 8 November 2006, Culio made his Racing Club debut, in a 3–2 loss against Banfield. His time at Racing Club was overshadowed when he was involved in an alteration with Cristian Pino, which was eventually solved. Despite this, he went on to make three appearances for Racing Club.
In January 2007, it was announced that Culio joined La Serena in the Liga Chilena de Fútbol.
Culio made his La Serena debut on 26 January 2007, where he started the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Unión Española. He quickly became a first team regular for the side, making a number of good performances. On 10 March 2007, he scored his first goal, in a 1–1 draw against Everton. His second goal then came on 29 April 2007, in a 2–1 win over Santiago Wanderers. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Culio went on to make nineteen appearances and scoring three times for the side.
On 23 June 2007, it was announced that Culio was transferred to the Romanian club CFR Cluj from La Serena, shortly after compatriot Cristian Fabbiani joined the squad. Four days later, on 27 June 2007, he was presented as the club's new player. Then CFR Club president Iuliu Mureșan reflected how the club signed him, saying: "Culio is an extraordinary player. He is a perfect worker.In 2007 we were looking for a striker and we were recommended Canales, who plays in Chile. We didn't like him and we saw Culio, who was an "ant" in the middle. He was declared the man of the match then. I told the impresario that I liked Culio's number 19. He told us he knew, he was sure we'd want Culio. It cost some money at the time. We were very happy. He is the most family-friendly man I have ever met"
Culio made his CFR Cluj debut under coach Ioan Andone on 1 August 2007, in the opening game of the season, starting the match before coming off as a substitute in the 72nd minute, in a 1–0 win over Oțelul Galați. Since joining the club, he quickly established himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position and was regularly capped player due to his activity on the field and physical endurance. On 7 November 2007, he scored his first goal for the club but was sent–off for a second bookable offence, in a 2–0 win over FC Vaslui. His performance soon earned him praised from Manager Cristiano Bergodi, as well as, earning Romanian's Player of the Month. Culio later helped CFR Cluj win both the league and Cupa României. At the end of the 2007–08 season, making thirty–seven appearances and scoring once in all competitions, Culio earned recognition by his home country.
In the 2008–09 season, Culio started the season well when he scored his first two goals in the UEFA Champions League, on 16 September 2008 against AS Roma. His team won 2–1 and Culio was designated the Man of the Match. This helped CFR Cluj obtain some important points in its first ever Champions League appearance. His performance for the side this season saw him being a subjected of a transfer bid from Russian clubs, such as, FC Moscow and Rubin Kazan. Despite the transfer bid, he stayed at the club throughout January and his performance continued to impress, earning a praise by his then teammate, Eugen Trică and Gheorghe Hagi. Between 4 April 2009 and 18 April 2009, Culio assisted five times in four appearances, including twice against FC Vaslui. This was followed up by scoring his first league goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Steaua București on 22 April 2009. Once again, Culio helped the side win the Cupa României Cup for the second time in a row, in which he scored in the final, in a 3–0 win over Politehnica Timișoara. Despite missing out four matches out of the forty–two matches the club has played in the 2008–09 season, he went on to make thirty–eight appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Culio continued to be linked a move away from the club, as interests from European clubs increased, including Porto, which saw Álvaro Pereira joined the side. Eventually, he stayed at the club throughout the summer transfer window. In the Supercupa României against Unirea Urziceni, which the game was played for 120 minutes following a 1–1 draw, Culio started the season well when he helped the side win 3–2 in the penalty–shootout despite missing a penalty. After missing two matches, he returned to the first team and played in both legs against FK Sarajevo in the UEFA Europa League Play–Offs, which they won 3–1 on aggregate. Following his return, Culio regained his first team place for the side. He then scored his first goal of the season on 16 September 2009, in a 2–0 win over Copenhagen in the UEFA Europa League Group Stage. Following a 3–2 loss against Sparta Prague in the UEFA Europa League Group Stage on 5 November 2009, Culio was involved in alteration with the club's supporters, which he apologized after the match. On 13 March 2010, he scored his first league goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Dinamo București. Later in the 2009–10 season, Culio helped the side win both the league and the Cupa României after beating FC Vaslui 5–4 in penalty–shootout in the final. Despite being out on two occasions during the 2009–10 season, Culio went on to make forty–two appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Culio, once again, expressed his desire to leave the club. Despite the move never happened, he, nevertheless, helped the side beat Unirea Urziceni in the Supercupa României, after the match went on penalties following a 2 –2 draw throughout extra time. He started the season as a first team regular for the side. On 2 August 2010, Culio scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Victoria Brănești. In a 2–1 win over FC Basel in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday 1, he set up two goals, in which he was praised for his performance. Culio then assisted three times in three matches between 24 September 2010 and 3 October 2010. Then, on 19 October 2010, he scored his second league goal of the season, in a 3–2 loss against Bayern Munich. A month later, on 28 November 2010, he scored again, in a 2–2 draw against Steaua București. By the end of December 2010, Culio was subjected of a transfer bid by Kuban Krasnodar, which was rejected by the CFR Cluj. By the time of his departure, he made twenty–five appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. He also finished the top assists for the Champions League Group.
On 6 January 2011, Culio signed with Turkish club Galatasaray for reported €2 million where he was wanted by Romanian coach Gheorghe Hagi.