# Romel Morales

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. 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.
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.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 27 October 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Continental | Continental | Total | 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 |
| PKNS | 2019 | Malaysia Super League | 22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | – | – | 31 | 9 |
| PKNS | Total | 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 |
| Kuala Lumpur City | 2022 | Malaysia Super League | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 8 |
| Kuala Lumpur City | 2023 | Malaysia Super League | 20 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 9 |
| Kuala Lumpur City | Total | Total | 60 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 73 | 26 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 114 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 151 | 46 |

### International

    As of 8 September 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Malaysia | 2024 | 7 | 2 |
| Total | 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 Pestabola Merdeka |

## Honours

Kuala Lumpur City
* Malaysia Cup: 2021
* AFC Cup runner-up: 2022
Johor Darul Ta'zim
* Malaysia FA Cup: 2024
Malaysia
* Pestabola Merdeka: 2024
Individual
* Malaysia Cup top scorer: 2021 (10 goals)