Matheus Moraes
Brazilian footballer
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Matheus Purcelo Blecha de Moraes (born 22 April 2000), known as Matheus Moraes or simply Moraes, is a Brazilian footballer for Japanese J1 League club Albirex Niigata. Mainly a forward, he can also play as an attacking midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matheus Purcelo Blecha de Moraes | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Mogi Mirim, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Albirex Niigata | ||
| Number | 55 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2021 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Santos | 0 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Maringá (loan) | 9 | (2) |
| 2022 | → Maringá (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | Londrina | 0 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | Maringá | 66 | (16) |
| 2025– | Albirex Niigata | 4 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 September 2025 | |||
Club career
Born in Mogi Mirim, São Paulo, Moraes joined Santos' youth setup in 2011, aged ten.[1] On 31 July 2017, he signed his first professional contract with the club, agreeing to a three-year deal.[2]
Struggling severely with injuries, Moraes could not feature regularly for the youth sides, but still renewed his contract until 2022 on 24 January 2020.[3] On 21 July, he was registered for the year's Campeonato Paulista.[4]
On 5 February 2021, Moraes was loaned to Maringá for the 2021 Campeonato Paranaense.[5] He made his professional debut on 23 March, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Vinícius Faria but being subbed off nine minutes later due to an injury in a 0–1 home loss against Coritiba.[6]
Moraes scored his first senior goals on 15 May 2021, netting a brace in a 9–1 away success over Cascavel CR.[7] He returned to Santos after his loan ended, playing for the under-23s,[8] before rejoining Maringá also on loan on 6 January 2022.[9] However, he was unable to play after suffering a fracture on his fibula shortly after.[10]
On 1 July 2022, Moraes left Santos as his contract expired,[11] and joined Londrina on 8 August.[12] On 30 November, after only two unused substitute appearances, he returned to Maringá on a permanent deal.[13]
After being mainly a backup option, Moraes became an undisputed starter in the 2025 season, scoring eight goals as the club reached the finals of the 2025 Campeonato Paranaense.[14]
Career statistics
- As of 31 March 2025[15]
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santos | 2021 | Série A | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Maringá (loan) | 2021 | Paranaense | — | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | 9 | 2 | ||||
| Maringá (loan) | 2022 | Paranaense | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Londrina | 2022 | Série B | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Maringá | 2023 | Série D | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2024 | 18 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 3 | ||||
| 2025 | Série C | 0 | 0 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 9 | |||
| Total | 21 | 3 | 36 | 11 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 62 | 15 | ||||
| Career total | 21 | 3 | 45 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 73 | 17 | ||
- Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista