# Dayro Moreno

Dayro Mauricio Moreno Galindo (born 16 September 1985) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Categoría Primera A club Once Caldas. He is the top goalscorer of the Colombian Categoría Primera A with 225 goals.
Moreno began his career with Once Caldas, winning the 2004 Copa Libertadores. In 2008, he moved to Europe to play for Romanian club Steaua București for two years, before returning to Once Caldas in 2010 and winning the 2010 Finalizacion league title with the Manizales-based club. In 2011, he moved to Mexico's Club Tijuana, where he stayed until 2018 with loans in between to Atlético Junior, Millonarios, and Atlético Nacional. His time at Atletico Nacional was a huge success, winning the 2016 Copa Libertadores, 2017 Recopa Sudamericana, and 2017 Apertura while being the top goalscorer of both Apertura and Finalización tournaments in 2017. After being dismissed from the club due to disciplinary problems in October 2018, he transferred to Talleres de Córdoba of Argentina in December. In 2021, he had a brief spell at Oriente Petrolero in Bolivia, before returning to Colombia with Atlético Bucaramanga for the 2022 season, where he finished as top scorer again and led Bucaramanga into the playoffs for the first time in years.
Moreno has been capped internationally at the youth and senior level for Colombia. He was part of the squad that got third place at the Copa América Centenario.
Although known for his ability to score goals, he has also been known negatively for indiscipline problems.

## Club career
### Once Caldas

Moreno joined Once Caldas's youth academy aged 15, and made his professional debut in 2003. His first title as a professional was the 2003 Apertura title won against Junior, the club's first title in 53 years. The following year, Once Caldas won the 2004 Copa Libertadores, beating Boca Juniors in the finals, with Moreno participating for seventy minutes in the second leg. That same year, he was an unused substitute in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup, where Once Caldas lost the game in a penalty shoot-out against UEFA Champions League winners Porto. Moreno also participated in both legs of the 2005 Recopa Sudamericana, where Once Caldas lost 4–3 on aggregate to Boca Juniors.
In January 2007, Moreno was loaned out to Brazilian club Athletico Paranaense. However, he only played two games and scored once, which came on his debut against Figueirense in the first matchday of the Campeonato Brasileiro on 12 May 2007. He returned to Once Caldas in June 2007.
In the summer of 2007, Argentine club Boca Juniors showed their interest in him. However, nothing was finalized and he stayed with Once Caldas, where he was the top scorer of the 2007 Finalización with 16 goals.
After scoring the winning goal against Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November 2007, there were rumours that Moreno went clubbing, and arrived late to the next Once Caldas training session. As a result, head coach Santiago Escobar insisted on not playing him in the next match, but club President Jairo Quintero obligated Escobar to include Moreno in the lineup. Escobar was infuriated by the board's decision to support Moreno and he resigned shortly after the incident, although Moreno himself denies ever committing an act of indiscipline.

### Steaua București

In January 2008, after an outstanding season with Once Caldas where he finished as top scorer in the 2007 Finalización, Romanian club Steaua București signed him for a club record US$2 million on a four-year contract. With his arrival at the club, he joined fellow Colombians Róbinson Zapata, Pepe Moreno, and Juan Toja, who were also playing for the club at the time.
He made his debut for the club in a 2–1 loss against Politehnica Iași on 24 February. His first goal in Romania came a week later in a 3–1 victory against CFR Cluj. On 26 April, he scored a game winner in a 2–1 away victory against Universitatea Craiova.
On 3 August, Moreno scored the opening goal of a 2–1 victory against FC Brașov. Ten days later, on 13 August, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 2–2 draw against Turkish club Galatasaray.
In June 2009, he had an argument in a training session with assistant manager Massimo Pedrazzini and was told to leave the session. He was initially fined €5,000 for indiscipline, but the fine was later increased to €15,000, and he was not included in the squad for the final match of the season against Unirea Urziceni. A few days later, at the end of the 2008–09 season, Moreno left Steaua to his native country without the club's consent, failed to show up for the team's preseason, and demanded a transfer.
Moreno eventually rejoined the club and was forgiven by Gigi Becali, but was demoted to the B squad for the beginning of the 2009–10 season for indiscipline. He agreed to play for the second team with an 85% salary reduction until he was prepared to come back to the first squad.
In October 2009, following a series of good performances for the B team, he was called back to the first team by new Steaua manager Mihai Stoichiță. He was in the starting eleven and scored in his first match since his return, a 2–0 away victory against Politehnica Iași on 17 October 2009.
Moreno left the club in January 2010, citing that he was not happy playing as a midfielder instead of his natural striker position, and that his family failed to adapt to the country. Overall his time at Steaua was filled with problems; he was fined on numerous occasions for indiscipline and had problems with manager Marius Lăcătuș, which eventually contributed to his exit.

### Return to Once Caldas

Shortly after his exit from Steaua, it was reported on Click! that Moreno wanted to join another Romanian club, FC Timisoara. However, a week later, Moreno and Timisoara cancelled negotiations, and on 24 January 2010, he returned to Once Caldas on a transfer worth approximately €500,000. On 26 February, he scored the winner in a 2–1 home victory against São Paulo in the Copa Libertadores. In December, he scored in a 2–1 loss against Deportes Tolima in the first leg of the Finalizacion finals, but Once Caldas later won the title with a 3–1 victory in the second leg at Estadio Palogrande, with Moreno winning the golden boot in the process, scoring 16 goals.

### Club Tijuana

In May 2011 he was linked with a transfer to Portugal's Sporting Lisbon, but the deal was canceled after he failed to agree on personal terms. On 2 June 2011, it was announced that Moreno would move to Liga MX team Club Tijuana for a fee of US$3.5 million. In January 2012, the Colombian forward requested to leave Tijuana after having a minor facial fracture while on vacation.

#### Loans to Caldas, Junior, and Millonarios

In February 2012, he rejoined Once Caldas on loan after rejecting an offer from Universidad de Chile.
Moreno then joined Junior on a year-long loan in late July 2012. On 2 September, he scored two goals in a 4–3 win against Patriotas Boyacá. On 7 April 2013, he scored two goals to help his team comeback from a 1–0 deficit against Cúcuta Deportivo and win the match 2–1.
On 6 July, Ascenso MX side Correcaminos announced that Moreno would join them for the upcoming season. However, the Colombian striker changed his mind and joined Millonarios two days later, after stating that he did not want to join a Second Division side. His first goal for the club came on 15 August in a 2-0 victory over his former club Junior as part of the Copa Colombia, where Moreno scored his penalty in the shootout, helping his club advance to the next round. Three days later, he scored a hat trick in a 3–0 win against Once Caldas. A week later, he added two goals against Deportivo Pasto, doing the same against Atlético Huila, which included a 90th-minute winner to bring his tally up to 8 goals in the last 5 matches. On 29 September, with Millonarios trailing 2-0, Moreno scored at the 85th minute and then added another goal deep into added time to salvage a draw. On 19 October, he scored the only goal in a victory against Deportivo Cali. On 7 December, he scored twice in a victory against Once Caldas in the final matchday of the playoffs. He finished top scorer of the 2013 Finalizacion, with 16 goals.
Moreno kicked off the 2014 Apertura with a brace in a 2-1 away victory at Estadio Polideportivo Sur against Envigado. On 9 February 2014, in the Superclasico against Atletico Nacional, he opened the scoring in a 3-1 home victory. He scored a hat-trick on 29 March in a 4–0 win over Patriotas. On 19 April, in a 3-1 win over Deportes Tolima, he added a brace. He finished as top scorer of the 2014 Apertura, with thirteen goals, and won the golden boot.

### Return to Club Tijuana

On 10 July 2014, Club Tijuana announced that Moreno had rejoined the club. On 28 February 2015, he scored a last minute winner to give Tijuana a 3–2 victory against Pachuca, after having trailed by two goals at halftime. On 12 September, at Estadio Caliente, he scored twice against Chivas Guadalajara in a 2–1 victory, with his team having trailed 1–0 at halftime. On 12 February 2016, he scored a double in a 2–1 away victory against Tigres UANL at Estadio Universitario. Twelve days later, he scored a double in a 4–0 win against Atlas in the Copa MX.
On 16 July, Moreno scored a brace in a 2–0 win vs Atletico Morelia. Moreno was the top scorer of the 2016 Apertura alongside Raul Ruidiaz, with 11 goals.

### Atlético Nacional

On 8 January 2017, Moreno signed with Atlético Nacional on a year-long loan with option to purchase. He made his debut on 9 February against Atlético Bucaramanga, and three days later, scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–0 victory against Rionegro Águilas. On 10 May, he scored two goals in the 2017 Recopa Sudamericana second leg against Chapecoense that contributed to his team's 4–1 victory. Moreno scored a brace, including an injury time winning goal, to contribute to his club's 3–2 victory after having trailed 0–2 against Jaguares de Córdoba on 4 June.
On 18 June, he scored a penalty in the second leg of the finals against Deportivo Cali, which ended in a 5–1 victory for Nacional. Nacional eventually won the title 5–3 on aggregate, having come from a 2–0 deficit in the first leg. On 17 September, Moreno scored a brace, including an injury time game winner, in a 3–2 win against Millonarios. A week later, he scored another brace in a 2–0 victory against Envigado.
On 14 October 2018, in the last minutes of a league match against Deportivo Cali, he had a fight with teammate Jeison Lucumí over taking a free-kick, and Lucumi was shown a red card. Two days later, Moreno was expelled from the team due to the previous incident and reiterated disciplinary behavior. On the other hand, Lucumi was handed a week suspension from team activities.

### Talleres

On 18 December 2018, Moreno joined Argentine Primera División side Talleres on a two-year deal. He made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Independiente on 27 January 2019. On 20 February 2019, he scored his first goal for Talleres in a 2-1 loss to Palestino in the Copa Libertadores. On 20 April, in the Copa de la Superliga, he scored the opening goal of the match and then scored his penalty in the 3-2 penalty shootout victory against San Martín de San Juan. A week later, he scored a brace in a 3-2 victory against Atlético Tucumán. On 24 September, he scored the winning goal, a penalty, in a 2-1 victory against Gimnasia de La Plata. This was his first goal in five months.

## International career

Moreno played seven games for the Colombia under-20 squad that won the 2005 South American U-20 Championship. He also made three appearances for the same team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. In total he made ten appearances for the U20 team and didn't score any goals.
Moreno made his Senior team debut on 1 March 2006 against Venezuela. He scored his first goal on 20 November 2007, the game-winner in a 2–1 victory against Argentina. On 6 June 2011, he was included in the 23-man squad chosen by coach Hernán Darío Gómez for the 2011 Copa América.
After a five-year-absence from the national team, he returned and opened the scoring in a 3–1 friendly win against Haiti on 29 May 2016. A few days later, he was included in José Pékerman's squad for the Copa América Centenario. Moreno played three games at the tournament and started the match against Costa Rica, but failed to score and didn't complete 90 minutes in any of the games he played.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of 21 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Once Caldas | 2003 | Categoria Primera A | 12 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 0 |
| Once Caldas | 2004 | Categoria Primera A | 43 | 8 | – | – | 6 | 0 | – | – | 49 | 8 |
| Once Caldas | 2005 | Categoria Primera A | 27 | 14 | – | – | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 14 |
| Once Caldas | 2006 | Categoria Primera A | 32 | 20 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 20 |
| Once Caldas | 2007 | Categoria Primera A | 22 | 16 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 16 |
| Once Caldas | Total | Total | 136 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 148 | 58 |
| Atlético Paranaense | 2007 | Serie A | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 |
| Steaua Bucharest | 2007–08 | Liga I | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 |
| Steaua Bucharest | 2008–09 | Liga I | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 |
| Steaua Bucharest | 2009–10 | Liga I | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Steaua Bucharest | Total | Total | 43 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 13 |
| Steaua Bucharest II | 2009–10 | Liga II | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 6 | 4 |
| Once Caldas | 2010 | Categoria Primera A | 34 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 23 |
| Once Caldas | 2011 | Categoria Primera A | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 7 |
| Once Caldas | Total | Total | 49 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 30 |
| Tijuana | 2011–12 | Liga MX | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| Tijuana | 2014–15 | Liga MX | 30 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 10 |
| Tijuana | 2015–16 | Liga MX | 34 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 23 |
| Tijuana | 2016–17 | Liga MX | 19 | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 19 | 12 |
| Tijuana | Total | Total | 95 | 47 | 7 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 102 | 50 |
| Once Caldas (loan) | 2012-I | Categoria Primera A | 12 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| Junior (loan) | 2012-II | Categoria Primera A | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 |
| Junior (loan) | 2013-I | Categoria Primera A | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 |
| Junior (loan) | Total | Total | 34 | 11 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 36 | 13 |
| Millonarios (loan) | 2013-II | Categoria Primera A | 24 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 21 |
| Millonarios (loan) | 2014 | Categoria Primera A | 21 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 13 |
| Millonarios (loan) | Total | Total | 45 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 34 |
| Atletico Nacional (loan) | 2017 | Categoria Primera A | 37 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 48 | 33 |
| Atletico Nacional (loan) | 2018 | Categoria Primera A | 31 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 24 |
| Atletico Nacional (loan) | Total | Total | 68 | 44 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 91 | 57 |
| Talleres | 2018–19 | Argentine Primera Division | 9 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 20 | 7 |
| Talleres | 2019–20 | Argentine Primera Division | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 |
| Talleres | Total | Total | 29 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 10 |
| Once Caldas | 2020 | Categoria Primera A | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 5 |
| Oriente Petrolero | 2021 | Bolivian Primera División | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 4 |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | 2022 | Categoria Primera A | 42 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 43 | 22 |
| Once Caldas | 2023 | Categoria Primera A | 40 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 20 |
| Once Caldas | 2024 | Categoria Primera A | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 |
| Once Caldas | Total | Total | 52 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 28 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 636 | 293 | 44 | 21 | 55 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 731 | 329 |
* ↑ Appearances in 2005 Recopa Sudamericana
* ↑ Two appearances and two goals in 2017 Recopa Sudamericana
* ↑ Two appearances in 2018 Superliga Colombiana

### International

    As of match played on 18 June 2016
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Colombia | 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2007 | 3 | 1 |
| Colombia | 2008 | 5 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2010 | 6 | 1 |
| Colombia | 2011 | 12 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2012 | 0 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2013 | 0 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2014 | 0 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2015 | 0 | 0 |
| Colombia | 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 31 | 3 |
    As of match played 18 June 2016
    Scores and results list Colombia goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Moreno goal.

#### Summary of official goals: Updated April 21, 2024.

| Competition | Apps | Goals |
| Total club goals | 731 | 329 |
| Colombia selection | 31 | 3 |
| Total | 762 | 332 |
List of international goals scored by Dayro Moreno :
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 20 November 2007 | Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia | 4 | Argentina | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 3 September 2010 | Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela | 14 | Venezuela | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 29 May 2016 | Marlins Park, Miami, United States | 28 | Haiti | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |

## Honours

Once Caldas
* Categoría Primera A: 2003 Apertura, 2010 Finalización
* Copa Libertadores: 2004
Atlético Nacional
* Categoría Primera A: 2017 Apertura
* Recopa Sudamericana: 2017
Colombia
* Copa América third place: 2016

### Individual

* Categoría Primera A top goalscorer (7): 2007 Finalización, 2010 Finalización, 2013 Finalización, 2014 Apertura, 2017 Apertura, 2017 Finalización, Apertura 2022
* Liga MX Golden Boot (shared): Apertura 2016
* Liga MX Best XI: Apertura 2016