| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Javier Morales Aguirre | ||
| Date of birth | (1975-02-21)21 February 1975 (age 50) | ||
| Place of birth | Las Piedras, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996 | Platense | 12 | (1) |
| 1997–1998 | Basáñez | 14 | (7) |
| 1999–2002 | Nacional | 98 | (44) |
| 2003–2005 | Osasuna | 50 | (11) |
| 2005–2007 | Málaga | 42 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | Nacional | 25 | (8) |
| 2008–2009 | Grêmio | 6 | (1) |
| 2009 | LDU | 3 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Fénix | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 255 | (75) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2005 | Uruguay | 27 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ríchard Javier Morales Aguirre (born 21 February 1975) is a Uruguayan retiredfootballer who played as acentre forward.
NicknamedChengue, he was mostly known for his tremendous physical strength and volatile temperament.[1] He played professionally in four countries – mainly Spain – his heyday coming atNacional.
Morales representedUruguay at the2002 World Cup, as well as in twoCopa América tournaments.
Morales was born inLas Piedras,Canelones Department. After starting his professional career withClub Atlético Platense andBasáñez, he transferred toClub Nacional de Football in 1999. There, he helped thecapital club to the 1998Primera División title.
In January 2003, Morales moved to Spain, reuniting withPablo García atCA Osasuna.[2] After spending his first two and a half seasons as a rarely used attacking option (his first goals came in late April-early March 2004 in two consecutive 1–1 draws, againstReal Valladolid andMálaga CF),[3][4] he scored nineLa Liga goals in the2004–05 campaign, being instrumental in theNavarrese side's narrow escape from relegation.
Morales signed for Málaga subsequently, but would only net once in2005–06 as theAndalusians went on to rank last, adding just two inthe following season'ssecond division.
On 5 August 2008 Morales, after a brief return stint with Nacional, agreed to a contract withClube de Regatas do Flamengo for the rest ofthe campaign, with the option to renew the contract for another year.[5] However, the following day, after club players were violently attacked by its fans, he decided not to join theRio de Janeiro team.[6]
On 31 August 2008, Morales signed withGrêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense. The following 16 February he moved toL.D.U. Quito, but left the squad on 2 April due to his father's poor health;[7] before retiring the following year, he played a few matches forCentro Atlético Fénix.
Having first appeared forUruguay at 26, during the2001 Copa América – where he scored in the 1–2 semi-final loss toMexico[8]– Morales came to international prominence on 15 November 2001, when his two late goals againstAustralia in thequalification playoffs ensured his country a place at the2002 FIFA World Cup.[9]
In the final stages inSouth Korea andJapan, Morales netted once in the 3–3 draw againstSenegal, but he missed a header that would have been his team's fourth goal and taken Uruguay through to the Round of 16.[10] He received a total of 27caps, scoring six goals.
International goals for Uruguay
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25 July 2001 | Estadio Hernán Ramírez Villegas,Pereira, Colombia |  Mexico | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2001 Copa América |
| 2. | 25 November 2001 | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo, Uruguay |  Australia | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup play-off |
| 3. | 3–0 | |||||
| 4. | 21 May 2002 | National Stadium, Singapore |  Singapore | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 5. | 2–0 | |||||
| 6. | 11 June 2002 | Suwon World Cup Stadium,Suwon, South Korea |  Senegal | 1–3 | 3–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup |
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