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.
 Morales playing for Johor Darul Ta'zim in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Romel Oswaldo Morales Ramírez | ||
| Date of birth | 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 | 9 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Malaysia | 9 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 October 2024 | |||
Club career
editMorales 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
editIn 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
editAfter 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
editOn 12 November 2019, Melaka United announced the signing of Morales for the following 2020 Malaysia Super League season.
Kuala Lumpur City
editMorales 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
editAfter 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]
On 8 September 2024, Morales scored the only goal of the 2024 Merdeka Tournament final against Lebanon which ended Malaysia's 14 year title drought.[4]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 27 October 2023[5]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| PKNS | 2018 | Malaysia Super League | 21 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 3 | – | 35 | 8 | |
| 2019 | Malaysia Super League | 22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | – | 31 | 9 | ||
| Total | 43 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 17 | ||
| Melaka United | 2020 | Malaysia Super League | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 12 | 3 | |
| Kuala Lumpur City | 2021 | Malaysia Super League | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 10 | – | 33 | 15 | |
| 2022 | Malaysia Super League | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 8 | |
| 2023 | Malaysia Super League | 20 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 21 | 9 | ||
| Total | 60 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 73 | 26 | ||
| Career total | 114 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 151 | 46 | ||
International
edit- As of 8 September 2024[6]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 2024 | 7 | 2 |
| Total | 7 | 2 | |
International goals
editSenior
edit| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25 January 2024 | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar |  South Korea |
3–3 | 3–3 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 2. | 8 September 2024 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia |  Lebanon |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2024 Pestabola Merdeka |
Honours
editKuala Lumpur City
- Malaysia Cup : 2021
- AFC Cup runner-up : 2022
Johor Darul Ta'zim
Malaysia
- Pestabola Merdeka : 2024[7]
Individual
- Malaysia Cup top scorer : 2021 (10 goals)
References
edit- ^ "Colombian footballer Morales set to play for Malaysia | New Straits Times". 7 June 2023.
- ^ "Morales set to give Harimau Malaya more bite in Asian Cup finals". The Vibes. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "K-Drama at the Asian Cup as Harimau Malaya hold South Korea in final group game". The Star. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "Vicente makes strong case as Harimau Malaya end 14-year title drought". New Straits Times. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "Romel Morales". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ "Romel Morales". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ BERNAMA (9 August 2024). "Malaysia Beat Lebanon 1-0 In Final Of 2024 Merdeka Tournament". BERNAMA. Retrieved 8 September 2024.