João Moreira (footballer, born 1986)

João Vítor Rocha de Carvalho Moreira (born 7 February 1986) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for New Zealand club Team Wellington as a forward.

João Moreira
Personal information
Full name João Vítor Rocha de Carvalho Moreira
Date of birth (1986-02-07) 7 February 1986
Place of birth Amadora, Portugal
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Team Wellington
Number 7
Youth career
1997–2001 Olivais Moscavide
2001–2004 Estrela Amadora
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Estrela Amadora 9 (3)
2005–2008 Valencia B 26 (2)
2005–2006 → Rayo Vallecano (loan) 1 (0)
2007 → Nacional (loan) 8 (0)
2008 → Leixões (loan) 6 (0)
2008–2009 Beira-Mar 13 (0)
2009–2010 Estrela Amadora 21 (3)
2010–2011 Lleida 22 (4)
2011–2012 Linense 9 (0)
2012 Almansa 9 (3)
2012–2013 DPMM 16 (7)
2014–2017 Auckland City 39 (19)
2018 Hibernians 7 (2)
2018–2019 Golden Arrows 7 (1)
2020– Team Wellington 4 (2)
National team
2004–2005 Portugal U20 13 (4)
2006–2008 Portugal U21 20 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 November 2020

Club career

Moreira was born in Amadora, Lisbon. Still a youngster, he made his Primeira Liga debut with C.F. Estrela da Amadora and, after that season, signed a five-year contract with Valencia CF, but was immediately loaned out to Rayo Vallecano.[1]

Moreira played one season with the latter club's B side, being relegated from Segunda División B. Still under loan, he then spent the 2007–08 campaign with C.D. Nacional and Leixões SC, being released in June 2008 by the Spaniards without any official appearances and dropping down to the second level in his country by joining S.C. Beira-Mar.[2]

On 26 June 2009, Moreira underwent a trial at Heart of Midlothian alongside compatriot Zezinando.[3] An eventual deal fell through, and he returned to Estrela after four years.

Moreira left for Spain again in June 2010, agreeing to a one-year contract with UE Lleida in division three. He stayed in that country and tier for 2011–12 and joined Real Balompédica Linense,[4] but was released by the latter in January 2012.

On 18 December 2012, Moreira signed for the only professional football team in Brunei, DPMM FC, joining alongside Stéphane Auvray as one of the foreign players for the 2013 season of the S.League.[5][6] On 6 February 2014 he switched to the New Zealand Football Championship with Auckland City FC,[7] making his first league appearance ten days later when he started and scored once in the 10–0 away demolition of Southern United FC.[8]

Moreira netted six times in as many games during the 2017 edition of the OFC Champions League – including twice in a 2–0 final first leg defeat of Team Wellington – helping the club to the seventh consecutive accolade in the competition (fourth during his tenure).[9] On 14 October of that year, the 31-year-old left Kiwitea Street.[10]

References
  1. "El delantero luso Joao Moreira ficha por el Valencia" [Portuguese forward Joao Moreira signs for Valencia] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 23 February 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. "João Moreira reforça ataque do Beira-Mar" [João Moreira bolsters Beira-Mar offense] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. Portuguese pair on trial Archived 28 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine; Heart of Midlothian, 26 July 2009
  4. "La Balona ficha al portugués Joao Moreira, del Lleida" [La Balona sign Portugal's Joao Moreira, from Lleida] (in Spanish). Andalucía Información. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  5. Two new stars for DPMM FC; The Brunei Times, 18 December 2012
  6. Two new stars for DPMM FC; Eteamz, 18 December 2012
  7. "Joao Moreira signs for the #NavyBlues". Facebook. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  8. "Football: Dijkstra a bright spot in the gloom". Otago Daily Times. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  9. "Seventh heaven for Auckland City". FIFA. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  10. Voerman, Andrew (14 October 2017). "Auckland City remain the team to beat as national men's football league begins". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
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