João Morelli Neto (born 11 March 1996) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward.

João Morelli
João Morelli
Morelli with HFX Wanderers in 2021
Personal information
Full name João Morelli Neto
Date of birth (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Itu, Brazil[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
0000–2015 Ituano
2016-2018 Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Middlesbrough 0 (0)
2017FCI Levadia (loan) 24 (16)
2018 Fleetwood Town 0 (0)
2018 Ituano 9 (2)
2019 FCI Levadia 33 (12)
2020–2023 HFX Wanderers 43 (24)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 November 2023

Early life

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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

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Middlesbrough

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 and retirement

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On February 25, 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] After a very strong 2021 season, Morelli was the Golden Boot winner in the CPL,[12] netting 14 goals in 21 games and was nominated for the CPL Player of the Year award on December 5, 2021.[13] On December 12, the Wanderers announced Morelli had signed a contract extension through 2023.[14] Two days later, on December 14, at the CPL awards ceremony, Morelli was named the 2021 CPL Player of the Year.[15]

During the Wanderers' second game of the 2022 season against Atlético Ottawa on April 16, Morelli suffered an ACL injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.[16][17]

In July 2023, Morelli was officially cleared to play again, as the club signed him to a new contract extension, adding a club option for 2024.[18][19] On July 31, he scored his first goal since returning from injury in a 2–0 league victory over York United.[20][21] He went on to score four goals in nine appearances for Halifax, before missing out on the final games of the regular season, as well as the play-offs, due to a new injury.[22][23]

On November 3, 2023, Morelli officially announced his retirement from football, citing his will to take care of his family as the main reason behind his choice.[23][24] At the time of his retirement, the forward was the all-time leading scorer for the Wanderers, having scored 24 goals in 43 games for the club,[23] as well as the joint-fifth highest scorer in the history of the CPL (22 goals).[24] In June 2024, he was sanctioned for doping, receiving an 18 month ban, from a sample collected in August 2023 that tested positive for clomiphene metabolites.[25]

Career statistics

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As of 13 August 2023[4]
Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup[a] Continental[b] Other[c] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Middlesbrough U21 2016–17 3[d] 0 3 0
FCI Levadia (loan) 2017 Meistriliiga 22 16 0 0 2 0 0 0 24 16
Fleetwood Town 2017–18 EFL League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ituano 2018 Campeonato Paulista 0 0 9 2 9 2
FCI Levadia 2019 Meistriliiga 29 11 1 1 2 0 1 0 33 12
HFX Wanderers 2020 Canadian Premier League 8 4 1 0 9 4
2021 21 14 2 1 23 15
2022 2 1 0 0 2 1
2023 9 4 0 0 0 0 9 4
Total 40 23 2 1 0 0 1 0 43 24
Career total 91 50 3 2 4 0 14 2 112 54

  1. ^ Includes appearances in the Estonian Cup and Canadian Championship.
  2. ^ Includes appearances in UEFA Europa League.
  3. ^ Includes appearances in the EFL Trophy, Copa Paulista, Estonian Supercup, and Canadian Premier League playoffs
  4. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

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HFX Wanderers

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Acaz Fellegger (29 August 2018). "Ituano trouxe de volta o atacante João Morelli que estava na Europa" (in Portuguese). Ituano FC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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".
  12. ^ "HFX Wanderers FC attacker Joao Morelli wins 2021 CPL Golden Boot". Canadian Premier League. December 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Thompson, Marty (December 12, 2021). "CPL Awards 2021 set for Tuesday: View nominees here". Canadian Premier League.
  14. ^ "Morelli Commits to Wanderers for 2022 and 2023". HFX Wanderers FC. December 12, 2021.
  15. ^ Thompson, Marty (December 14, 2021). "HFX Wanderers FC's Joao Morelli named 2021 CPL Player of the Year". Canadian Premier League.
  16. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (April 20, 2022). "HFX Wanderers' João Morelli to miss rest of 2022 season with torn ACL". Canadian Premier League.
  17. ^ Jacques, John (20 April 2022). "Joao Morelli Out With Season-Ending Injury". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  18. ^ Jacques, John (9 June 2023). "Star Halifax Wanderers Forward Joao Morelli Cleared For Return". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  19. ^ "João Morelli added to active roster, signs new contract with Wanderers". HFX Wanderers. July 10, 2023.
  20. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (30 July 2023). "HIGHLIGHTS: York United FC vs. HFX Wanderers FC (July 30, 2023)". OneSoccer. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  21. ^ Jacques, John (31 July 2023). "Magic For Morelli: CPL Talisman Bags First Goal Since Injury". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  22. ^ Jacques, John (16 September 2023). "'It Breaks My Heart' - Morelli Sidelined As Wanderers Make Playoff Push". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  23. ^ a b c Jacques, John (3 November 2023). "Top CPL Midfielder Joao Morelli Announces Retirement". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Forever a Wanderer: João Morelli announces retirement from football". Canadian Premier League. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  25. ^ Jacques, John (June 11, 2024). "Joao Morelli Tested Positive For Doping In 2023". Northern Tribune.
  26. ^ "Premium liiga kuu parimad tulevad FC Florast" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association. 3 November 2017.
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