 Moreno playing withClub Tijuana in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dayro Mauricio Moreno Galindo | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-09-16)16 September 1985 (age 40) | ||
| Place of birth | El Espinal,Tolima, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Once Caldas | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Once Caldas | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2007 | Once Caldas | 136 | (56) |
| 2007 | →Atlético Paranaense (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Steaua București | 43 | (12) |
| 2009 | Steaua II București | 4 | (2) |
| 2010–2011 | Once Caldas | 49 | (25) |
| 2011–2018 | Tijuana | 95 | (47) |
| 2012 | →Once Caldas (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2012–2013 | →Atlético Junior (loan) | 38 | (11) |
| 2013–2014 | →Millonarios (loan) | 45 | (29) |
| 2017–2018 | →Atlético Nacional (loan) | 68 | (44) |
| 2018–2020 | Talleres | 29 | (4) |
| 2020 | Once Caldas | 14 | (5) |
| 2021–2022 | Oriente Petrolero | 17 | (4) |
| 2022 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 42 | (22) |
| 2023– | Once Caldas | 121 | (54) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2005 | Colombia U-20 | 10 | (0) |
| 2007–2025 | Colombia | 32 | (3) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 August 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 4 September 2025 | |||
Dayro Mauricio Moreno Galindo (born 16 September 1985) is a Colombian professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forCategoría Primera A clubOnce Caldas and theColombia national football team. He is top goalscorer in the history of the ColombianCategoría Primera A with 225 goals.[1]
Moreno began his career withOnce Caldas, winning the2004 Copa Libertadores. In 2008, he moved to Europe to play for Romanian clubSteaua 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'sClub Tijuana, where he stayed until 2018 with loans in between toAtlético Junior,Millonarios, andAtlético Nacional. His time at Atletico Nacional was a success, winning the2017 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 toTalleres de Córdoba of Argentina in December. In 2021, he had a brief spell atOriente Petrolero in Bolivia, before returning to Colombia withAtlético Bucaramanga for the2022 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 forColombia. He was part of the squad that got third place at theCopa América Centenario.
Although known for his ability to score goals, he has also been known negatively for indiscipline problems.[2]
Moreno joinedOnce Caldas's youth academy aged 15, and made his professional debut in2003.[3] His first title as a professional was the 2003 Apertura title won against Junior, the club's first title in 53 years.[4][5] The following year, Once Caldas won the2004 Copa Libertadores, beatingBoca Juniors inthe finals, with Moreno participating for seventy minutes in the second leg. That same year, he was an unused substitute in the2004 Intercontinental Cup, where Once Caldas lost the game in a penalty shoot-out againstUEFA Champions League winnersPorto. Moreno also participated in both legs of the2005 Recopa Sudamericana, where Once Caldas lost 4–3 on aggregate to Boca Juniors.
In January 2007, Moreno was loaned out to Brazilian clubAthletico Paranaense.[6] However, he only played two games and scored once, which came on his debut againstFigueirense in the first matchday of theCampeonato Brasileiro on 12 May 2007.[7] He returned to Once Caldas in June 2007.
In the summer of 2007, Argentine clubBoca Juniors showed their interest in him.[8] 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 againstArgentina in the2010 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 coachSantiago 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.[2][9][10]
In January 2008, after an outstanding season with Once Caldas where he finished as top scorer in the 2007 Finalización, Romanian clubSteaua București signed him for a club record US$2 million on a four-year contract.[11] He joined fellow ColombiansRóbinson Zapata,Pepe Moreno andJuan Toja, who were also playing for the club at the time.
He made his debut for the club in a 2–1 loss againstPolitehnica Iași on 24 February. His first goal in Romania came a week later in a 3–1 victory againstCFR Cluj.[12] On 26 April, he scored a game winner in a 2–1 away victory againstUniversitatea Craiova.[13]
On 3 August, Moreno scored the opening goal of a 2–1 victory againstFC Brașov.[14] Ten days later, on 13 August, he scored his firstUEFA Champions League goal in a 2–2 draw againstTurkish clubGalatasaray.[15]
In June 2009, he had an argument in a training session with assistant managerMassimo 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 againstUnirea Urziceni.[16][17] 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 byGigi Becali, but was demoted to theB squad for the beginning of the 2009–10 season for indiscipline.[18][19] He agreed to play for the second team with an 85% salary reduction until he was prepared to come back to the first squad.[20][21]
In October 2009, following a series of good performances for the B team, he was called back to the first team by new Steaua managerMihai Stoichiță.[22] 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.[23]
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.[24][25][26] Overall his time at Steaua was filled with problems; he was fined on numerous occasions for indiscipline and had problems with managerMarius Lăcătuș, which eventually contributed to his exit.[16]
Shortly after his exit from Steaua, it was reported onClick! that Moreno wanted to join another Romanian club,FC Timisoara.[27][28] However, a week later, Moreno and Timisoara cancelled negotiations,[29] and on 24 January 2010, he returned toOnce Caldas on a transfer worth approximately €500,000.[30] On 26 February, he scored the winner in a 2–1 home victory againstSão Paulo in theCopa Libertadores.[31] In December, he scored in a 2–1 loss againstDeportes 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 atEstadio Palogrande, with Moreno winning the golden boot in the process, scoring 16 goals.
In May 2011 he was linked with a transfer to Portugal'sSporting Lisbon, but the deal was canceled after he failed to agree on personal terms.[32][33][34] On 2 June 2011, it was announced that Moreno would move toLiga MX teamClub Tijuana for a fee of US$3.5 million.[35][36] In January 2012, the Colombian forward requested to leave Tijuana after having a minor facial fracture while on vacation.[37]
In February 2012, he rejoined Once Caldas on loan after rejecting an offer fromUniversidad de Chile.[38][39][40]
Moreno then joinedJunior on a year-long loan in late July 2012.[41][42] On 2 September, he scored two goals in a 4–3 win againstPatriotas Boyacá.[43] On 7 April 2013, he scored two goals to help his team comeback from a 1–0 deficit againstCúcuta Deportivo and win the match 2–1.[44]
On 6 July,Ascenso MX sideCorrecaminos announced that Moreno would join them for the upcoming season.[45] However, the Colombian striker changed his mind and joinedMillonarios two days later, after stating that he did not want to join a Second Division side.[46] His first goal for the club came on 15 August in a 2-0 victory over his former club Junior as part of theCopa Colombia, where Moreno scored his penalty in the shootout, helping his club advance to the next round.[47] Three days later, he scored a hat trick in a 3–0 win against Once Caldas.[48] A week later, he added two goals againstDeportivo Pasto,[49] doing the same againstAtlético Huila, which included a 90th-minute winner to bring his tally up to 8 goals in the last 5 matches.[50][51] 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.[52] On 19 October, he scored the only goal in a victory againstDeportivo Cali.[53] On 7 December, he scored twice in a victory against Once Caldas in the final matchday of the playoffs.[54] 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 atEstadio Polideportivo Sur against Envigado.[55] On 9 February 2014, in theSuperclasico against Atletico Nacional, he opened the scoring in a 3-1 home victory.[56] He scored a hat-trick on 29 March in a 4–0 win over Patriotas.[57] On 19 April, in a 3-1 win over Deportes Tolima, he added a brace.[58] He finished as top scorer of the 2014 Apertura, with thirteen goals, and won the golden boot.[59]
On 10 July 2014, Club Tijuana announced that Moreno had rejoined the club.[60] On 28 February 2015, he scored a last minute winner to give Tijuana a 3–2 victory againstPachuca, after having trailed by two goals at halftime.[61] On 12 September, atEstadio Caliente, he scored twice againstChivas Guadalajara in a 2–1 victory, with his team having trailed 1–0 at halftime.[62] On 12 February 2016, he scored a double in a 2–1 away victory againstTigres UANL atEstadio Universitario.[63] Twelve days later, he scored a double in a 4–0 win againstAtlas in theCopa MX.[64]
On 16 July, Moreno scored a brace in a 2–0 win vsAtletico Morelia.[65] Moreno was the top scorer of the2016 Apertura alongsideRaul Ruidiaz, with 11 goals.[66]
On 8 January 2017, Moreno signed withAtlético Nacional on a year-long loan with option to purchase.[67] He made his debut on 9 February againstAtlético Bucaramanga, and three days later, scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–0 victory againstRionegro Águilas.[68] On 10 May, he scored two goals in the2017 Recopa Sudamericana second leg againstChapecoense that contributed to his team's 4–1 victory.[69] Moreno scored a brace, including an injury time winning goal, to contribute to his club's 3–2 victory after having trailed 0–2 againstJaguares de Córdoba on 4 June.[70]
On 18 June, he scored a penalty in the second leg of the finals againstDeportivo 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.[71] On 17 September, Moreno scored a brace, including an injury time game winner, in a 3–2 win against Millonarios.[72] A week later, he scored another brace in a 2–0 victory againstEnvigado.[73]
On 14 October 2018, in the last minutes of a league match againstDeportivo Cali, he had a fight with teammateJeison 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.[74][75][76]
On 18 December 2018, Moreno joinedArgentine Primera División sideTalleres on a two-year deal.[77] He made his debut in a 1-1 draw againstIndependiente on 27 January 2019.[78] On 20 February 2019, he scored his first goal for Talleres in a 2-1 loss toPalestino in theCopa Libertadores.[79] On 20 April, in theCopa de la Superliga, he scored the opening goal of the match and then scored his penalty in the 3-2 penalty shootout victory againstSan Martín de San Juan.[80] A week later, he scored a brace in a 3-2 victory againstAtlético Tucumán.[81] On 24 September, he scored the winning goal, a penalty, in a 2-1 victory againstGimnasia de La Plata. This was his first goal in five months.[82]
According to theIFFHS, Moreno was the highest goalscoring Colombian player in top divisions in the 21st century (306), and the fourth-highest South American, only behindFred (307),Luis Suárez (409), andLionel Messi (518).[83]
Moreno played seven games for theColombia under-20 squad that won the2005 South American U-20 Championship. He also made three appearances for the same team at the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. In total he made ten appearances for the U20 team and didn't score any goals.
Moreno made hisSenior team debut on 1 March 2006 againstVenezuela.[84] He scored his first goal on 20 November 2007, the game-winner in a 2–1 victory againstArgentina.[85] On 6 June 2011, he was included in the 23-man squad chosen by coachHernán Darío Gómez for the2011 Copa América.[86]
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.[87] A few days later, he was included inJosé Pékerman's squad for theCopa América Centenario.[88] Moreno played three games at the tournament and started the match againstCosta Rica, but failed to score and didn't complete 90 minutes in any of the games he played.
On August 29 2025, Moreno was called up for the national team after a 9 year absence.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Once Caldas | 2003 | Categoría Primera A | 12 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2004 | 43 | 8 | – | 6[b] | 0 | – | 49 | 8 | ||||
| 2005 | 27 | 14 | – | 4[b] | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 33 | 14 | |||
| 2006 | 32 | 20 | – | – | – | 32 | 20 | |||||
| 2007 | 22 | 16 | – | – | – | 22 | 16 | |||||
| Total | 136 | 58 | – | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 148 | 58 | |||
| Atlético Paranaense | 2007 | Série A | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | |||
| Steaua Bucharest | 2007–08 | Liga I | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | 5 | |
| 2008–09 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8[d] | 1 | – | 35 | 6 | |||
| 2009–10 | 5 | 2 | 1[93] | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | – | 9 | 2 | |||
| Total | 43 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | – | 55 | 13 | |||
| Steaua Bucharest II | 2009–10 | Liga II | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 6 | 4 | ||
| Once Caldas | 2010 | Categoría Primera A | 34 | 20 | – | 7[b] | 3 | – | 21 | 23 | ||
| 2011 | 15 | 5 | – | 10[b] | 2 | – | 25 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 49 | 25 | – | 17 | 5 | – | 66 | 30 | ||||
| Tijuana | 2011–12 | Liga MX | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 5 | ||
| 2014–15 | 30 | 10 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 10 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 34 | 20 | 4 | 3 | – | – | 38 | 23 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 19 | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 95 | 47 | 7 | 3 | – | – | 102 | 50 | ||||
| Once Caldas (loan) | 2012-I | Categoria Primera A | 12 | 3 | 6 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 4 | ||
| Junior (loan) | 2012-II | Categoría Primera A | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 17 | 7 | ||
| 2013-I | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 | ||
| Total | 34 | 11 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 36 | 13 | ||||
| Millonarios (loan) | 2013-II | Categoría Primera A | 24 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 21 |
| 2014 | 21 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 13 | ||
| Total | 45 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 34 | ||
| Atletico Nacional (loan) | 2017 | Categoría Primera A | 37 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2[c] | 2 | 48 | 33 |
| 2018 | 31 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2[f] | 0 | 43 | 24 | ||
| 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 | |
| 2019–20 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 21 | 3 | |||
| Total | 29 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | 41 | 10 | |||
| Once Caldas | 2020 | Categoría 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 | Categoría Primera A | 42 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 43 | 22 | |
| Once Caldas | 2023 | Categoría Primera A | 40 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 41 | 20 | |
| 2024 | 49 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 50 | 21 | |||
| 2025 | 32 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 11[g] | 8 | – | 45 | 23 | |||
| Total | 121 | 54 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 8 | – | 137 | 64 | |||
| Career total | 705 | 319 | 47 | 23 | 66 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 814 | 365 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 3 | |
| 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 |
Once Caldas
Atlético Nacional
Colombia
Individual
El primer campeonato que tuve en mi carrera futbolistica a los tres meses que debute en primera
Colombia squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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