Romel Morales

Romel Oswaldo Morales Ramírez (born 23 August 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim. Born in Colombia, he represents the Malaysia national team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Morales and the second or maternal family name is Ramírez.

Romel Morales
Personal information
Full name Romel Oswaldo Morales Ramírez
Date of birth (1997-08-23) 23 August 1997
Place of birth Villavicencio, Colombia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Johor Darul Ta'zim
Number 19
Youth career
2011–2014 River Plate
2014–2016 Banfield
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Banfield 1 (0)
2018–2019 PKNS 43 (10)
2020 Melaka United 11 (3)
2021–2023 Kuala Lumpur City 60 (18)
2024– Johor Darul Ta'zim 0 (0)
International career
2024– Malaysia 5 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 November 2023

Club career

Morales started at Churta-Millos football school in Bogotá, then his parents decided that he show move to River Plate at 14 years of age.

Banfield

In 2014, Morales moved to Argentinian club Banfield. He made his professional debut on 20 March 2016, replacing Walter Erviti in 1–1 draw against River Plate at the Más Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.

PKNS

After six years in Argentina, Morales decided to continue his career in Malaysia, where he signed with PKNS. He made his debut on 3 February 2018, in a 2–2 draw against Terengganu II.

Melaka United

On 12 November 2019, Melaka United announced the signing of Morales for the following 2020 Malaysia Super League season.

Kuala Lumpur City

Morales joined Malaysia Super League club Kuala Lumpur City in January 2021. He was part of the team that won the 2021 Malaysia Cup and emerged as the top scorer of the competition with 10 goals. Morales was also part of the squad where the club reached the 2022 AFC Cup Final.

International career

After a five year stay in the country, on 19 December 2023, Morales was naturalised as a Malaysian citizen.[1][2] He made his official debut against Jordan during the group stage at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar. He scored his first goal for Malaysia on 25 January 2024 in a 90+14th stoppage time equalizer in the 3–3 draw against South Korea.[3]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 27 October 2023[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
PKNS 2018 Malaysia Super League 2136283–358
2019 Malaysia Super League 2273062–319
Total 431092145006617
Melaka United 2020 Malaysia Super League 1130010–123
Kuala Lumpur City 2021 Malaysia Super League 225001110–3315
2022 Malaysia Super League 185104272308
2023 Malaysia Super League 2081100–219
Total 6018111512727326
Career total 1142411330177215146

International
As of 26 March 2024[5]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Malaysia 202451
Total51

Senior
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.25 January 2024Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar South Korea3–33–32023 AFC Asian Cup

Honours

Club

Kuala Lumpur City

Individual

References
  1. "Colombian footballer Morales set to play for Malaysia | New Straits Times". 7 June 2023.
  2. "Morales set to give Harimau Malaya more bite in Asian Cup finals". The Vibes. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  3. "K-Drama at the Asian Cup as Harimau Malaya hold South Korea in final group game". The Star. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  4. "Romel Morales". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  5. "Faisal Halim". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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