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Romel Morales
Personal information
Full name	Romel Oswaldo Morales Ramírez
Date of birth	23 August 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Villavicencio, Colombia
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Johor Darul Ta'zim
Number	19
Youth career
2011–2014	River Plate
2014–2016	Banfield
Senior career*
Years	Team
2016–2017	Banfield
2018–2019	PKNS
2020	Melaka United
2021–2023	Kuala Lumpur City
2024–	Johor Darul Ta'zim
International career‡
2024–	Malaysia
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 September 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 September 2024

Romel Oswaldo Morales Ramírez (born 23 August 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim. Born in Colombia, he represents the Malaysia national team.

Club career

Morales started at Churta-Millos football school in Bogotá, then his parents decided that he show move to River Plate at 14 years of age.

Banfield

In 2014, Morales moved to Argentinian club Banfield. He made his professional debut on 20 March 2016, replacing Walter Erviti in 1–1 draw against River Plate at the Más Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.

PKNS

After six years in Argentina, Morales decided to continue his career in Malaysia, where he signed with PKNS. He made his debut on 3 February 2018, in a 2–2 draw against Terengganu II.

Melaka United

On 12 November 2019, Melaka United announced the signing of Morales for the following 2020 Malaysia Super League season.

Kuala Lumpur City

Morales joined Malaysia Super League club Kuala Lumpur City in January 2021. He was part of the team that won the 2021 Malaysia Cup and emerged as the top scorer of the competition with 10 goals. Morales was also part of the squad where the club reached the 2022 AFC Cup Final.

International career

After a five-year stay in the country, on 19 December 2023, Morales was naturalised as a Malaysian citizen.^[1]^[2] He made his official debut against Jordan during the group stage at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar. He scored his first goal for Malaysia on 25 January 2024 in a 90+14th stoppage time equalizer in the 3–3 draw against South Korea.^[3]

On 8 September 2024, Morales scored the only goal of the 2024 Merdeka Tournament final against Lebanon which ended Malaysia's 14 year title drought.^[4]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 27 October 2023^[5]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
PKNS	2018	Malaysia Super League	21	3	6	2	8	3	–		35	8
	2019	Malaysia Super League	22	7	3	0	6	2	–		31	9
	Total		43	10	9	2	14	5	0	0	66	17
Melaka United	2020	Malaysia Super League	11	3	0	0	1	0	–		12	3
Kuala Lumpur City	2021	Malaysia Super League	22	5	0	0	11	10	–		33	15
	2022	Malaysia Super League	18	5	1	0	4	2	7	2	30	8
	2023	Malaysia Super League	20	8	1	1	0	0	–		21	9
	Total		60	18	1	1	15	12	7	2	73	26
Career total			114	24	11	3	30	17	7	2	151	46

International

As of 8 September 2024^[6]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Malaysia	2024	7	2
Total		7	2

International goals

Senior

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	25 January 2024	Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar	South Korea	3–3	3–3	2023 AFC Asian Cup
2.	8 September 2024	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia	Lebanon	1–0	1–0	2024 Merdeka Tournament