João Morelli

João Morelli (born 11 March 1996) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Canadian Premier League club HFX Wanderers.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Morelli and the second or paternal family name is Neto.
João Morelli
Personal information
Full name João Morelli Neto
Date of birth (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996
Place of birth Itu, Brazil[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 HFX Wanderers
Number 22
Youth career
0000–2015 Ituano
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Middlesbrough 0 (0)
2017 → FCI Levadia (loan) 22 (16)
2018 Fleetwood Town 0 (0)
2018 Ituano 0 (0)
2019 FCI Levadia 29 (11)
2020– HFX Wanderers 8 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 September 2020

Early life

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

Middlesbrough

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

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

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

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

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

On 25 February 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]

Career statistics
As of 19 December 2020[4]
Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental[lower-alpha 2] Other[lower-alpha 3] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
FCI Levadia (loan) 2017 Meistriliiga 22160020002416
Ituano 2018 Campeonato Paulista 00——9292
FCI Levadia 2019 Meistriliiga 29111120103312
HFX Wanderers 2020 Canadian Premier League 84——1094
Career total 593111401127534
  1. Includes appearances in the Estonian Cup.
  2. Includes appearances in UEFA Europa League.
  3. Includes appearances in the Copa Paulista, Estonian Supercup and Canadian Premier League final.

Honours

HFX Wanderers

References
  1. Acaz Fellegger (29 August 2018). "Ituano trouxe de volta o atacante João Morelli que estava na Europa" (in Portuguese). Ituano FC. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  2. 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. 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".
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