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João Morelli
João Morelli Neto (born 11 March 1996) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Early lifeMorelli 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 careerMiddlesbroughIn 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 LevadiaOn 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 TownOn 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 ItuanoOn 29 August 2018, Morelli returned to Ituano, where he made nine appearances and scored two goals in the Copa Paulista.[1][4] Return to LevadiaOn 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 retirementOn 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
HonoursHFX Wanderers
Individual
References
External links
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