Morato (footballer, born 2001)

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Rodrigues and the second or paternal family name is Silva.
Morato
Morato with Benfica in 2020
Personal information
Full name Felipe Rodrigues da Silva
Date of birth (2001-06-30) 30 June 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Francisco Morato, Brazil
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back, left-back
Team information
Current team
 Nottingham Forest
Number 4
Youth career
2016–2019 São Paulo
2019 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Benfica B 47 (4)
2019–2024 Benfica 47 (1)
2024– Nottingham Forest 15 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 January 2025

Felipe Rodrigues da Silva (born 30 June 2001), commonly known as Morato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Premier League club Nottingham Forest.

Club career

Born in Francisco Morato in the state of São Paulo, Morato was 18 when he moved from the youth ranks of São Paulo to Benfica in September 2019, on a contract lasting until 2024. The transfer fee was €6 million and the Brazilian club retained 15% of the rights to his next transfer.[2]

On 22 September 2019, Morato made his professional debut for Benfica B in the LigaPro, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 loss at Leixões.[3] He made his first-team debut on 21 December in the final game of the Taça da Liga group stage, again featuring for the entirety of a 2–2 draw at Vitória de Setúbal.[4][5] In the same season, he played 10 games as the under-19 team came runners-up in the UEFA Youth League, scoring in a 3–2 group win at Olympique Lyonnais on 5 November.[6]

On 27 September 2020, Morato scored his first professional goal to open a 2–1 loss for the reserves at Mafra;[7] on 17 October he was sent off in a 1–0 loss away to Arouca.[8] He made his Primeira Liga debut the following 30 April in a 2–0 win at Tondela, as an added-time substitute for Pizzi.[9] On 23 May, he started in the 2021 Taça de Portugal final, lost 2–0 to Braga in Coimbra;[10][11] he had days earlier been told that he would be on the bench for that game.[12]

Morato was given a run in the first team at the start of the 2021–22 season, due to injury to veteran Jan Vertonghen.[13] He scored his first goal for them on 2 November, in the first half of a 5–2 loss at Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League group stage.[14] The following season, under new manager Roger Schmidt, Morato earned a place in the starting eleven over Jan Vertoghen, and following a run of four consecutive wins and three clean sheets, he was named the Primeira Liga's Defender of the Month for August.[15]

On 30 August 2024, Morato signed a five-year deal with Premier League side Nottingham Forest[16] for a reported transfer fee of £12.6 million.[17]

International career

Morato was called up in November 2019 to the Brazil national under-20 football team, for games against Peru and Colombia.[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 January 2025[19]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Benfica B 2019–20 LigaPro 15 0 — — — — 15 0
2020–21 LigaPro 28 4 — — — — 28 4
2021–22 Liga Portugal 2 3 0 — — — — 3 0
2022–23 Liga Portugal 2 1 0 — — — — 1 0
Total 47 4 — — — — 47 4
Benfica 2019–20 Primeira Liga 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2020–21 Primeira Liga 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
2021–22 Primeira Liga 14 0 2 0 4 0 5[a] 1 — 25 1
2022–23 Primeira Liga 9 1 2 0 3 0 6[a] 0 — 20 1
2023–24 Primeira Liga 21 0 4 0 3 0 5[a] 0 0 0 28 0
2024–25 Primeira Liga 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 47 1 10 0 11 0 16 1 0 0 84 2
Nottingham Forest 2024–25 Premier League 15 0 1 0 — — — 16 0
Career total 109 5 11 0 11 0 16 1 0 0 147 6
  1. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Benfica

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Morato". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Benfica anuncia a contratação de Morato, formado na base do São Paulo; veja os valores" [Benfica announce the signing of Morato, formed in São Paulo's youth ranks; see the values] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Golo no tempo de compensção dá triunfo ao Leixões sobre o Benfica B" [Goal in added time gives Leixões triumph over Benfica B]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 22 September 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  4. ^ Esteves Teixeira, Sofia. "Morato titular no Benfica frente ao Vitória de Setúbal". Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Morato quer "subir rápido"" [Morato wants to "rise quickly"]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 January 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Sub-19 do Benfica vencem em Lyon. Veja os golos" [Benfica under-19 win in Lyon. See the goals]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 5 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Mafra bate Benfica B e segue só com vitórias na II Liga" [Mafra beat Benfica B and continue with only wins in II Liga]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 27 September 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Golo de ex-FC Porto impõe quarta derrota consecutiva ao Benfica B" [Goal from ex-FC Porto player imposes fourth consecutive defeat on Benfica B]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 17 October 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Benfica vence Tondela e reforça terceiro lugar da Liga" [Benfica defeat Tondela and strengthen grip on third place in Liga]. Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 30 April 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Morato no 'onze' do Benfica, Piazon titular no Braga" [Morato in Benfica's XI, Piazon starting for Braga] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  11. ^ Ribeiro, Patrick (23 May 2021). "Braga beat nine-man Benfica to lift Portuguese Cup". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ^ Pedras, Filipe; Soares, Rafael (21 May 2021). "Morato agradou Jorge Jesus mas fica no banco na final da Taça" [Morato thanked Jorge Jesus but stays on the bench in Taça final]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Lesão de Vertonghen é oportunidade de Morato frente ao Arouca" [Vertonghen's injury is Morato's opportunity against Arouca]. Record (in Portuguese). 11 August 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Champions League: Bayern and Juve book last-16 places, Lille stun Sevilla". The Guardian. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Melhores de agosto: Morato é o Defesa do Mês da Liga Portugal bwin". Liga Portugal (in Portuguese). 8 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  16. ^ Club, Nottingham Forest Football (30 August 2024). "Forest complete signing of Morato". Nottingham Forest Football Club.
  17. ^ "Nottingham Forest: James Ward-Prowse and Morato join club on deadline day". BBC Sport. 30 August 2024.
  18. ^ Silva, Flávio Miguel (12 November 2019). "Morato convocado para a seleção sub-20 brasileira" [Morato called up for the Brazilian under-20 national team]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  19. ^ Morato at Soccerway
  20. ^ Kundert, Tom (27 May 2023). "Benfica crowned champions of Portugal". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  21. ^ Vaza, Marco (9 August 2023). "Benfica soube mudar para ganhar a Supertaça". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Best of August: Morato wins Defender of the Month Liga Portugal bwin". Liga Portugal. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  • Profile at the S.L. Benfica website