Pedro Andrés Morales Flores (born 25 May 1985) is a Chilean former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He began his professional career with

Huachipato Club Deportivo Huachipato is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that is a current member of the Chilean Primera División. The club was founded 7 June 1947 and plays its home games at the Estadio CAP, which has a capacity of 10,500 p ...

before moving to

Universidad de Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

, and in 2007 was signed by

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

of Croatia. After a loan back at Universidad de Chile and Spanish club

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

, he spent a season with the latter before moving to

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

, where he served as a captain from 2014 until his departure. Morales first represented Chile in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, making his senior international debut later in 2008.

Club career

Chile

Morales began his career with

in 2004, quickly developing into an important player for the club. His outstanding performance in the U-20 World Cup helped Morales make the switch from

, one of Chile's oldest and most popular clubs. He made his debut in the summer of 2007, right before the Chilean

Clausura The ' and ' tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is div ...

tournament. His presence, quick feet and leadership skills allowed him to regularly play alongside Chile's top national team scorer, ex

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

and

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

center forward,

Marcelo Salas José Marcelo Salas Melinao (; born 24 December 1974), nicknamed ''Matador'' (due to his goalscoring celebrations), ''El Fenómeno'' and ''Shileno'', is a Chilean former footballer who played as a striker. Salas is considered the best strik ...

. Morales finished the 5-month tournament as the second top scorer in the league with 13 goals.

Dinamo Zagreb and Málaga

Morales signed a five-year contract with

GNK Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

on 11 June 2008. After a first season of average performances, in his second season he established himself as one of Dinamo's main players. During his time at Dinamo he helped the club to three straight league titles. After disappointing performances and injury problems, Dinamo loaned Morales to

. He regained his best form in Chile helping Universidad in capturing the 2012 Apertura which led to another loan, back to Europe where he joined

Málaga CF Málaga Club de Fútbol (, ''Málaga Football Club''), or simply Málaga, is a association football, football club based in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, that competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, ...

. On 11 June 2013, he signed a two-year contract with Málaga.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On 5 March 2014 Morales was acquired by the

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, for €300,000. He was signed as the club's third

Designated Player The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee ...

, after

Kenny Miller Kenneth Miller (born 23 December 1979) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. Miller, who played as a striker, is one of only five post-war players to have played for both Rangers and Celtic. Miller began his career at ...

and

Matías Laba Matías Alejandro Laba (born 11 December 1991) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a midfielder for Unión La Calera. Club career Laba started his professional career playing for Argentinos Juniors in the 2011 Clausura, coming on as a seco ...

. He made his debut four days later, assisting the third goal and scoring the fourth in a 4–1 win over reigning Supporters' Shield champions the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

BC Place BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a crown corporation of the province. The venue is currently ...

. Vancouver finished fifth in the Western Conference, and lost to fourth-place

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...

in the knockout round for the

MLS Cup Playoffs The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams quali ...

. Morales scored 10 goals in 34 matches, in addition to 12 assists, winning the

MLS Newcomer of the Year Award The MLS Newcomer of the Year Award is awarded by Major League Soccer to a player who has professional experience in another league and has an outstanding season in his first season of play in MLS. Winners {{MLS awards Newcomer of the Year

. Morales left the Whitecaps on 7 December 2016. He left the team as the second top scorer of the Whitecaps with 25 goals behind

Camilo Sanvezzo Camilo da Silva Sanvezzo (born 21 July 1988) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX club Toluca. He is a Mexican naturalized citizen. Club career Corinthians Alagoano Camilo began his career in the youth ...

and leads with assists of 22.

Colo-Colo

In January 2017, Morales signed with Chilean club

Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has pla ...

on a free transfer.

International career

In January 2008, Morales was called up to the Chile national team by

Marcelo Bielsa Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning "The Crazy Bielsa"; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional football manager who was most recently the head coach of Premier League club Leeds United. He is a forme ...

. The tour consisted of 2 friendlies where Chile beat

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

1–0 in Seoul and had a goalless draw with

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

at the Nissan Stadium. Morales played the full 90 minutes in both encounters. A month later, Morales was called up to represent Chile in the prestigious 8-team, U23 Toulon tournament in France. He was chosen the 2nd best player of the tournament and scored what was voted as the tournament's best goal, thanks to a strike from the behind the half in a semifinal against

Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

. Morales's size, technique, goals, and assists allowed Chile to make it to the final where they conceded a 1–0 loss to Italy, in a highly contested encounter where Morales was able to rid himself of all nearby defenders and shoot a 25-yard rocket that hit the Italian post in the dying minutes of the game.

International goals

Honours

Dinamo Zagreb * Prva HNL: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11 *

Croatian Football Cup The Hrvatski nogometni kup ( eng, Croatian football cup), also colloquially known as Rabuzinovo sunce (), is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after th ...

: 2008–09, 2010–11 *

Croatian Football Super Cup The Croatian Football Super Cup is a Association football, football match between the winners of the Croatian national Croatian Football League, top league and Croatian Football Cup, football cup. The Super Cup is always held at the beginning of a ...

: 2010 Universidad de Chile * Chilean Primera División:

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Copa Chile The Copa Chile (''Chile Cup'') is an annual cup competition for Chilean football teams. Due to time constraints and club pressure, the trophy was cancelled in 2000, but returned in 2008. Its precursor was the Campeonato de Apertura (''Opening Ch ...

: 2012−13 Vancouver Whitecaps FC * Canadian Championship:

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Individual *

: 2014 * Vancouver Whitecaps FC Player of the Year: 2014

References

Pedro Morales

Notes

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morales, Pedro 1985 births Living people People from Concepción Province, Chile Footballers from Biobío Region Chilean men's footballers Chilean expatriate men's footballers Chile men's international footballers Chile men's under-20 international footballers C.D. Huachipato footballers Club Universidad de Chile footballers GNK Dinamo Zagreb players Málaga CF players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Colo-Colo footballers C.D. Universidad de Concepción footballers Deportes Temuco footballers Chilean Primera División players Croatian Football League players La Liga players Major League Soccer players Primera B de Chile players Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Spain Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Canada Chilean expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Designated Players (MLS) Men's association football midfielders