Who is Iván Morales, Cruz Azul's new Chilean striker?

Iván Morales joined Cruz Azul for the 2022 Clausura following the departure of Jonathan 'Cabecita' Rodríguez to Saudi Arabia. The player was chosen by the former Celeste management headed by Álvaro Dávila, a few days before leaving the team. 

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The 22-year-old striker, a Chilean national, joined the reinforcements Ángel Romero, Christian Tabó, Uriel Antuna, Alejandro Mayorga, Erik Lira, Carlos Rodríguez and Luis Abram, who joined Cruz Azul in the winter transfer market.

Who is Iván Morales?

Morales has not had a long career in Chile and at his young age has only played for the Cacique team, with whom he made his debut on August 21, 2016, after completing a formative process in the club's youth ranks.

With Colo-Colo he played 91 games, scoring 22 goals and eight assists between Copa Libertadores, Chilean First Division, Supercopa de Chile, Copa Sudamericana and the transitional First Division, which have taken him to the Chilean national team.

With the national team, he made his debut on March 22, 2019, in a friendly match against the Mexican national team, playing 72 minutes and then being replaced by Gonzalo Jara. In his time with the national team, Morales has played five matches in which he has scored one goal, the same against Mexico in a friendly match in December 2021.

The 'Tanquecito', as Morales is also known, can play as a center forward, or he can be accompanied by a man upfront. He can also play as a left or right-winger.

Strongly tempered

He reached professional soccer after overcoming a road with obstacles. At the age of 14 he lost his father in a car accident and in 2021 his mother died, however, in the Colo-Colo's basic forces he also had to learn to channel his temperament, as his competitiveness and intentions to win were combined with anger, a situation for which he was expelled by the referee in matches or by his coaches in practice.

Morales himself described himself as an "angry" player in an interview he gave to Colo-Colo in 2014. "I don't like it when the central defenders hit me. I get spiked. The most serious expulsion was because I hit a combo," were the Chilean's words, just before the attacker moved on to the U-17s, where he was coached by Christian Guzmán, who immediately noticed that problem and worked for Iván to overcome it.

Iván Morales' numbers at Cruz Azul in the Clausura 2022

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