Javi Moreno
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Javier Moreno Valera | ||
| Date of birth | 10 September 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Silla, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Silla | |||
| 1990–1994 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1996 | Barcelona C | 19 | (9) |
| 1996 | Barcelona B | 10 | (5) |
| 1996–1997 | Córdoba | 15 | (0) |
| 1997 | Yeclano | 16 | (6) |
| 1998–2001 | Alavés | 82 | (30) |
| 1998–1999 | → Numancia (loan) | 39 | (18) |
| 2001–2002 | Milan | 16 | (2) |
| 2002–2004 | Atlético Madrid | 29 | (5) |
| 2004 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Zaragoza | 18 | (4) |
| 2005–2008 | Córdoba | 94 | (48) |
| 2008–2009 | Ibiza | 14 | (2) |
| 2009 | Lucena | 8 | (1) |
| Total | 368 | (130) | |
| National team | |||
| 1992–1993 | Spain U18 | 16 | (10) |
| 2001 | Spain | 5 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Javier 'Javi' Moreno Valera (born 10 September 1974) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.
Best known for his Alavés stint,[1] he also had short spells in Italy and England, with little impact, amassing La Liga totals of 118 games and 38 goals.
Club career
Early years / Alavés
Born in Silla, Valencia, Moreno made his professional debuts with FC Barcelona's B-team. After stints with lowly Córdoba CF and Yeclano Club de Fútbol he first joined Deportivo Alavés in January 1998, with the Basque side operating in Segunda División.
After being instrumental in CD Numancia first ever La Liga promotion in 1999, Moreno returned to Alavés, shooting to prominence during his second spell after playing a pivotal role in their run to the 2001 UEFA Cup final. Along the way, defeated were the likes of Gaziantepspor, Lillestrøm SK, Rosenborg, Inter Milan, fellow league club Rayo Vallecano and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, before an eventual 4–5 extra time loss to Liverpool in the decisive match, with the player scoring two goals in three minutes[2] (he also finished the league season with 22 strikes, good enough for third). Moreno had been substituted when on a hat-trick midway through the second half, and many fans felt that had he been kept on, Alavés would have had a better chance of emerging victorious.
At the end of the 2000-01 season, there was a scramble for Moreno's services,[3] with a host of clubs linked with the prolific striker.
Abroad
Moreno's performances and goals during the 2000–01 campaign convinced Serie A's A.C. Milan to buy him, amid attention from Europe's other elite clubs. However, he struggled immensely in his sole season in Italy, returning to his country to join Atlético Madrid, freshly promoted to the top flight.
With goals hard to come by, a January 2004 loan move to Bolton Wanderers ensued[4] but, after eight goalless appearances for The Trotters, including one in the season's Football League Cup final against Middlesbrough, Moreno found himself on the move again, this time to Real Zaragoza, where he appeared sparingly.
Return to Spain
Moreno refound his goalscoring form for old acquaintance Córdoba in July 2005, helping the club to promotion to the second division in 2007 while finishing the Segunda División B top scorer with 24 goals in 32 appearances. After three years he was released by the club, subsequently joining lowly SE Eivissa-Ibiza in the third level; as he did not play the amount of minutes he was expecting upon signing, he announced his retirement in December 2008.[5]
Roughly one year after, Moreno returned to active aged 35, joining another club in division three, Lucena CF, and retiring for good at the season's end.
International career
Moreno played five games for Spain in 2001, scoring once. His debut came on 28 February against England, in a friendly match played in Birmingham (0–3 loss).[6]
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2 June 2001 | Carlos Tartiere, Oviedo, Spain |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
Honours
- Zaragoza
References
- ↑ Un delantero al gusto inglés (Forward made in England); El País, 27 February 2001 (Spanish)
- ↑ 16 May; UEFA.com
- ↑ Webster, Rupert. "MORENO REIGNING IN SPAIN". Sky Sports.
- ↑ Moreno bound for Bolton; UEFA.com, 5 January 2004
- ↑ Javi Moreno anuncia su retirada (Javi Moreno announces retirement); Diario AS, 4 December 2008 (Spanish)
- ↑ Inglaterra golea (3–0) a España (England routs (3–0) Spain); El País, 1 March 2001 (Spanish)
External links
- BDFutbol profile
- National team data
- Javi Moreno at National-Football-Teams.com
- Javi Moreno – FIFA competition record