José Luis Morales (footballer, born 1973)
Spanish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
José Luis Morales Martín (born 2 August 1973) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Luis Morales Martín[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 August 1973[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1981–1992 | Real Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1993 | Real Madrid C | ||
| 1993–1994 | Real Madrid B | 33 | (17) |
| 1994 | Real Madrid | 7 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | Sporting Gijón | 35 | (6) |
| 1995–1996 | Mallorca | 24 | (15) |
| 1996–1998 | Logroñés | 54 | (7) |
| 1998–2000 | Numancia | 17 | (3) |
| 2000 | Salamanca | 16 | (2) |
| 2000 | New England Revolution | 10 | (1) |
| 2001 | Jaén | 3 | (0) |
| 2001 | Gimnástica | 11 | (3) |
| 2001–2002 | Santa Clara | 4 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | Palamós | 5 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Móstoles | ||
| Total | 219 | (58) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989–1990 | Spain U16 | 6 | (3) |
| 1990–1991 | Spain U17 | 8 | (3) |
| 1991 | Spain U18 | 6 | (1) |
| 1994–1995 | Spain U21 | 7 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Real Madrid
Born in Madrid, Morales joined Real Madrid's academy at the age of eight.[2] He made his La Liga debut with the first team on 5 February 1994, opening a 2–0 win against Deportivo de La Coruña through a bicycle kick; his other goal also awarded a home victory, 1–0 over Atlético Madrid two weeks later.[3]
On 19 May 1994, Morales netted twice in the first leg of the Copa Iberoamericana, helping the hosts to beat Boca Juniors 3–1. Again as a substitute, he also took the field in the second game, a 2–1 loss at La Bombonera.[4][5]
Journeyman and Mallorca
After leaving the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in summer 1994, Morales represented sides in both the top division and the Segunda División.[2] In the 1995–96 season, he scored a career-best 15 goals for second-tier Mallorca in spite of only having been there six months, eight coming in his first six appearances.[6][7]
New England Revolution
Morales signed for the New England Revolution on 10 July 2000 after a week-long trial, filling the club's fourth and final foreign spot[8] and becoming in the process the first Spaniard to take part in the Major League Soccer.[9] He made his debut nine days later in a 1–0 defeat of the Kansas City Wizards.[10] He scored his only goal on 30 August, the only in a home win over D.C. United;[10] this helped them to qualify for the playoffs for the second time in their history,[11] where he provided the assist for Mauricio Wright's winner against Chicago Fire in the second match of the series[10] for a first-ever victory at that stage.[12]
On 1 November 2000, the Revolution elected not to exercise the option on Morales' contract.[13]
Later career
Morales' last experience in top-flight football was in the 2001–02 campaign with Santa Clara of the Portuguese Primeira Liga,[14] scoring in a 1–1 draw at Belenenses on 6 January 2002.[15] He retired at the age of 31, following a spell in the Tercera División with Móstoles.[2]
International career
Morales won seven caps for Spain at under-21 level, scoring twice.[2]
Honours
Real Madrid
- Copa Iberoamericana: 1994[4]
