Malaysian footballer (born 1997)
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Morales and the second or maternal family name is
Ramírez .
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 .
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]
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
Club
As of match played 27 October 2023 [ 5]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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
As of 8 September 2024 [ 6]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
Malaysia
2024
7
2
Total
7
2
International goals
Senior
Honours
Kuala Lumpur City
Johor Darul Ta'zim
Malaysia
Individual
References
External links