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João Morelli

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Morelli and the second or paternal family name is Neto.
João Morelli
João Morelli
Morelli with HFX Wanderers in 2021
Personal information
Full name João Morelli Neto
Date of birth (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Itu, Brazil[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
0000–2015 Ituano
2016-2018 Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Middlesbrough 0 (0)
2017 → FCI Levadia (loan) 24 (16)
2018 Fleetwood Town 0 (0)
2018 Ituano 9 (2)
2019 FCI Levadia 33 (12)
2020–2023 HFX Wanderers 43 (24)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 November 2023

João Morelli Neto (born 11 March 1996) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Early life

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Morelli was born and raised in the city of Itu, São Paulo state.[1][2] In 2013, he joined the under-17 team of local club Ituano, where he scored three goals in eight appearances, primarily as a substitute.[1] The following year, he was promoted to the under-20 team, where he made another five appearances.[1]

Club career

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Middlesbrough

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In March 2015, Morelli signed a contract with EFL Championship side Middlesbrough until the end of the season, the result of Boro's partnership with Ituano.[3] In the 2016–17 season, he made ten appearances in Premier League 2 for Middlesbrough's under-23 side, scoring two goals.[4] Over the course of his first two years at the club, he scored eleven goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for Middlesbrough's under-23s.[5]

Loan to FCI Levadia

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On 20 February 2017, Morelli signed a one-year contract extension with Middlesbrough before going on a year-long loan to Estonian Meistriliiga side FCI Levadia Tallinn.[6] In 22 league appearances that season, he scored sixteen goals, tying for fifth in league scoring.[4][7] Morelli also played 90 minutes in both legs of Levadia's Europa League first qualifying round series against Irish club Cork City.[4]

Fleetwood Town

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On 31 January 2018, Morelli signed an 18-month contract with EFL League One side Fleetwood Town.[8] Shortly after he signed for the club, manager Uwe Rösler was sacked and replaced by Joey Barton, under whom Morelli later recounted feeling "lost" after a drastic change of tactics and position.[2] He subsequently failed to make a competitive appearance for the Fishermen and was released at the end of the season.[4]

Return to Ituano

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On 29 August 2018, Morelli returned to Ituano, where he made nine appearances and scored two goals in the Copa Paulista.[1][4]

Return to Levadia

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On 27 December 2018, Morelli returned to FCI Levadia, signing a two-year contract.[9] He made 29 league appearances that season, scoring eleven goals.[4] He also appeared for Levadia in the Estonian Supercup and scored a goal in one appearance in the Estonian Cup.[4] Later in the season, he played every minute of both legs in Levadia's extra-time loss to Icelandic club Stjarnan in Europa League qualifying.[4]

HFX Wanderers and retirement

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On February 25, 2020, Morelli signed with Canadian Premier League side HFX Wanderers.[10] He made his debut for the Wanderers on August 15 against Pacific FC, and converted a penalty in an eventual 2–2 draw.[11] After a very strong 2021 season, Morelli was the Golden Boot winner in the CPL,[12] netting 14 goals in 21 games and was nominated for the CPL Player of the Year award on December 5, 2021.[13] On December 12, the Wanderers announced Morelli had signed a contract extension through 2023.[14] Two days later, on December 14, at the CPL awards ceremony, Morelli was named the 2021 CPL Player of the Year.[15]

During the Wanderers' second game of the 2022 season against Atlético Ottawa on April 16, Morelli suffered an ACL injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.[16][17]

In July 2023, Morelli was officially cleared to play again, as the club signed him to a new contract extension, adding a club option for 2024.[18][19] On July 31, he scored his first goal since returning from injury in a 2–0 league victory over York United.[20][21] He went on to score four goals in nine appearances for Halifax, before missing out on the final games of the regular season, as well as the play-offs, due to a new injury.[22][23]

On November 3, 2023, Morelli officially announced his retirement from football, citing his will to take care of his family as the main reason behind his choice.[23][24] At the time of his retirement, the forward was the all-time leading scorer for the Wanderers, having scored 24 goals in 43 games for the club,[23] as well as the joint-fifth highest scorer in the history of the CPL (22 goals).[24] In June 2024, he was sanctioned for doping, receiving an 18 month ban, from a sample collected in August 2023 that tested positive for clomiphene metabolites.[25]

Career statistics

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As of 13 August 2023[4]
Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup[a] Continental[b] Other[c] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Middlesbrough U21 2016–17 – — — — 3[d] 0 3 0
FCI Levadia (loan) 2017 Meistriliiga 22 16 0 0 2 0 0 0 24 16
Fleetwood Town 2017–18 EFL League One 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
Ituano 2018 Campeonato Paulista 0 0 — — 9 2 9 2
FCI Levadia 2019 Meistriliiga 29 11 1 1 2 0 1 0 33 12
HFX Wanderers 2020 Canadian Premier League 8 4 — — 1 0 9 4
2021 21 14 2 1 — — 23 15
2022 2 1 0 0 — — 2 1
2023 9 4 0 0 — 0 0 9 4
Total 40 23 2 1 0 0 1 0 43 24
Career total 91 50 3 2 4 0 14 2 112 54

  1. ^ Includes appearances in the Estonian Cup and Canadian Championship.
  2. ^ Includes appearances in UEFA Europa League.
  3. ^ Includes appearances in the EFL Trophy, Copa Paulista, Estonian Supercup, and Canadian Premier League playoffs
  4. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

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HFX Wanderers

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Acaz Fellegger (29 August 2018). "Ituano trouxe de volta o atacante João Morelli que estava na Europa" (in Portuguese). Ituano FC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b Gary Griffiths (2 March 2020). "Interview: João Morelli". From Aways. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. ^ Jonathon Taylor (10 March 2015). "Boro's link with Juninho's Ituano FC blossoming as Joao Morelli makes league debut". Teesside Live. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i João Morelli at Soccerway
  5. ^ Jonathon Taylor (8 September 2017). "The Brazilian striker on fire in Estonia: Middlesbrough's Joao Morelli is making waves in Tallinn". Teesside Live. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Joao Morelli Leaves Boro On Loan". Middlesbrough F.C. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  7. ^ "ML Väravalööjate Edetabel (2017)" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
  8. ^ "Fleetwood Town complete signing of Joao Morelli". Fleetwood Town F.C. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Yurii Tkachuk, João Morelli ja Marek Kaljumäe liitusid FCI Levadiaga" (in Estonian). FCI Levadia Tallinn. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  10. ^ Gareth Hampshire (25 February 2020). "Wanderers bring samba style to Halifax with Brazilian pair João Morelli and Eriks Santos". HFX Wanderers FC. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  11. ^ Molinaro, John (August 15, 2020). "'Coastal Clash' between Pacific FC and HFX Wanderers ends in stalemate in PEI".
  12. ^ "HFX Wanderers FC attacker Joao Morelli wins 2021 CPL Golden Boot". Canadian Premier League. December 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Thompson, Marty (December 12, 2021). "CPL Awards 2021 set for Tuesday: View nominees here". Canadian Premier League.
  14. ^ "Morelli Commits to Wanderers for 2022 and 2023". HFX Wanderers FC. December 12, 2021.
  15. ^ Thompson, Marty (December 14, 2021). "HFX Wanderers FC's Joao Morelli named 2021 CPL Player of the Year". Canadian Premier League.
  16. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (April 20, 2022). "HFX Wanderers' João Morelli to miss rest of 2022 season with torn ACL". Canadian Premier League.
  17. ^ Jacques, John (20 April 2022). "Joao Morelli Out With Season-Ending Injury". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  18. ^ Jacques, John (9 June 2023). "Star Halifax Wanderers Forward Joao Morelli Cleared For Return". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  19. ^ "João Morelli added to active roster, signs new contract with Wanderers". HFX Wanderers. July 10, 2023.
  20. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (30 July 2023). "HIGHLIGHTS: York United FC vs. HFX Wanderers FC (July 30, 2023)". OneSoccer. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  21. ^ Jacques, John (31 July 2023). "Magic For Morelli: CPL Talisman Bags First Goal Since Injury". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  22. ^ Jacques, John (16 September 2023). "'It Breaks My Heart' - Morelli Sidelined As Wanderers Make Playoff Push". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  23. ^ a b c Jacques, John (3 November 2023). "Top CPL Midfielder Joao Morelli Announces Retirement". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Forever a Wanderer: João Morelli announces retirement from football". Canadian Premier League. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  25. ^ Jacques, John (June 11, 2024). "Joao Morelli Tested Positive For Doping In 2023". Northern Tribune.
  26. ^ "Premium liiga kuu parimad tulevad FC Florast" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association. 3 November 2017.
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