Fernando morientes young picture

Fernando Morientes

Spanish footballer and manager (born )

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Morientes and the second or maternal family name is Sánchez.

Fernando Morientes Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation:[feɾˈnandomoˈɾjentesˈsantʃeθ]; born 5 April ) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker.

He played for a number of clubs during his career, including Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool and Valencia. In La Liga, he scored goals in games over 15 seasons. He earned 11 major honours with the first club, including three Champions League trophies.

Morientes earned 47 caps for the Spain national team, representing the country in two World Cups (totalling five goals) and Euro He later worked briefly as a manager.

Club career

Early career

Born in Cilleros, Cáceres, Extremadura, Morientes moved to Sonseca in the Province of Toledo at the age of four.[3] He began his professional career at Albacete Balompié, making his La Liga debut on 7 November as a 75th-minute substitute for Alejandro in a 2–3 loss against CD Tenerife at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte,[4] and he made one more appearance that season, also from the bench.[5]

On 23 October , soon after coming on as a first-half replacement for Alberto Monteagudo, Morientes scored his first professional goal, opening a 2–0 home win over Racing de Santander.[6] He got his first start a week later in a 1–5 loss at RCD Español,[7] and finished the campaign with a total of five goals in 20 league games; additionally, he found the net in each leg of a 3–2 aggregate win over holders Real Zaragoza in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.[8]

Morientes signed with Zaragoza in , where he spent another two seasons, often being partnered up front by Dani, a Real Madrid youth graduate.[9] He made his debut on 9 September away to Real Betis, scoring the team's goal after 48 minutes but being sent off seven minutes later for striking Jaime.[10] On 10 January of the following year, he scored his first professional hat-trick in a 3–2 win at Athletic Bilbao for the domestic cup;[11] his first such feat in the league followed on 3 February in a 4–1 victory over Valencia CF at La Romareda,[12] and eight days later he scored the first goal at SD Compostela and also received his marching orders with his team winning 2–1 (eventual 2–3 defeat).[13]

Real Madrid

Morientes' performances for Zaragoza caught the eye of Spanish giants Real Madrid, which bought the player in the summer of for approximately €&#;million. Initially backing up established Predrag Mijatović and Davor Šuker, he finished as starter and managed 12 goals in his first year in 33 matches, squad-best (with the two players who fought with him for a starting berth netting ten apiece, as youth system prodigy Raúl); the team finished fourth in the league, but won the season's UEFA Champions League.

Morientes performed very well in the –99 campaign, scoring 19 goals in the league and 25 in 38 appearances overall.[9] He continued to display top football in –, netting 19 times and finishing as Real's top scorer in a year where he also helped to the capital side's second Champions League title in three years, scoring in the 3–0 defeat of Valencia CF in an all-Spanish final.[14] In the next season, he won the first of two league titles with the club and netted ten goals overall, including four in eight appearances in the Champions League in a semi-final exit to eventual winners FC Bayern Munich; he missed the last weeks due to injury.

In –02, Real failed to win the league after losing out to Valencia. Morientes continued his scoring form, however, scoring 18 league goals in only 25 starts, with six substitute appearances. He also netted five in a 7–0 demolition of UD Las Palmas, missing out on a double hat-trick after missing from the penalty spot late in the match.[15] He finished second in the top scorers list, tied with Patrick Kluivert and behind Deportivo de La Coruña's Diego Tristán,[16] as the Merengues were successful in winning the Champions League after beating Bayer 04 Leverkusen – he played in the final and received a third winners medal.[17]

In the summer of , Real Madrid signed Brazilian superstar Ronaldo from Inter Milan. This fueled rumours that Morientes would soon be leaving, with FC Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly interested – the former were reportedly on the verge of signing the player for around €22&#;million, but the move fell through due to Barça's reluctance to match his wage demands. Eventually, he decided to stay, but as predicted he did not feature as much after the arrival of Ronaldo, who was preferred in the starting lineup along with Raúl. He eventually fell down the pecking order of strikers to Guti and Javier Portillo[18] and, during a February home win against Borussia Dortmund – 2–1 in the Champions League second group stage – was involved in a highly publicised spat with manager Vicente del Bosque, with the player allegedly insulting the coach after being called to enter the pitch as a third replacement in the dying minutes;[19][20] in the winter transfer window, despite continuous rumours of moves to Tottenham, Zaragoza, AS Roma and AC Milan, he remained at the club for remainder of the season as the side went on to win the league, with the player making a total of 19 appearances (with three starts) and scoring five goals.

Monaco loan and return

At the start of the –04 season, it was evident Morientes was not part of Real's plans. After extensive but ultimately unsuccessful negotiations regarding a loan deal with Germany's FC Schalke 04, he was loaned to Ligue 1 side AS Monaco FC,[21] where he performed very well, netting ten times from 28 appearances in the league. It was in the Champions League, however, that he really made an impact, finishing as top scorer at nine goals:[22] Monaco met Real Madrid in the quarter-finals,[23] where he scored a vital away goal in the first leg (4–2 away loss); in the second match, he again found the net as his team won 3–1, taking the aggregate score to 5–5 (away goals rule victory).[24] He also scored in both games of the last-four win against Chelsea,[25][26] but could not prevent a 3–0 defeat in the final to FC Porto, played at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen.[27]

After returning to Real Madrid at the start of the –05 campaign, Morientes' hopes of forcing his way into the squad were further dampened with the arrival of Michael Owen from Liverpool.[28] He featured in 13 scoreless league matches (all as a substitute), and was transferred to Liverpool in January for a fee of €&#;million.[29] During his time at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium he played games in all competitions, scoring goals.[30]

Liverpool

Morientes made his debut for Liverpool on 15 January against Manchester United, starting in a 0–1 home loss to the rivals – BBC Sport described his performance as "quiet".[31] He scored his first goal for the club on 1 February, equalising with a yard strike in a 2–1 win at Charlton Athletic,[32] and he followed it four days later with his first goal at Anfield to open a 3–1 win over Fulham after nine minutes.[33] He was cup-tied for the Champions League campaign,[34] and did not feature in the victory against Milan in the final of the competition.[9]

On 10 August , Morientes scored in each half of a 3–1 away win against PFC CSKA Sofia in the first leg of the third qualifying round for the season's Champions League.[35] His form in the league was inconsistent, but on 10 December he netted a five-minute brace in a 2–0 home defeat of Middlesbrough, their seventh in a row.[36] On 21 March , he scored in a 7–0 rout of Birmingham City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, finishing Steven Gerrard's cross three minutes after entering in place of Peter Crouch.[37] Liverpool went on to win the tournament, and the player replaced Harry Kewell early in the second half of the final against West Ham United.[38]

Morientes totalled 12 goals in 61 appearances, also winning the UEFA Super Cup and playing on the losing side in the Football League Cup final and the FIFA Club World Championship final.[39] He ultimately failed to live up to his reputation.[40]

Valencia

Morientes joined Valencia in late May for a fee reported to be around £3&#;million.[41] Here, he started to regain his form, scoring on his league debut – a 2–1 home win against Betis[42]– and also netting a hat-trick in his first Champions League appearance against Olympiacos FC.[43] He linked up well with David Villa[44] and scored 12 goals in 24 games, and was also team-top scorer in the Champions League with seven; his good form throughout the season also earned him a recall to the national side.[45]

For –08, Morientes and Villa were joined in the strike force by Nikola Žigić and Javier Arizmendi. The campaign, however, was disappointing, as the Che were knocked out of the Champions League after finishing fourth in the group, and manager Quique Sánchez Flores was dismissed following a poor run of form. He picked up an injury in December that ruled him out for almost three months, and he made his return to the side against Sevilla FC on 15 March ;[46][47] he also came off the bench to score the third and final goal in Valencia's 3–1 victory over Getafe CF in the final of the Copa del Rey the following month.[48]

Morientes missed out on a further few league games after he was hospitalised in April with abdominal pains and fever.[49] He was released from hospital in time for the final two matches of the season, but played no part in either.

Having begun the following campaign as an unused substitute in Valencia's first league game, and only coming on from the bench in the second, Morientes was handed his first start in a UEFA Cupmatch against C.S. Marítimo, and he scored the only goal in Portugal through a solo effort at the minute mark.[50] His increasing age and the form of Villa and Juan Mata, however, led to only a handful of appearances in the league; as they were ousted in the round of 32, he still finished as their top scorer in European competition at three goals in seven matches.[51]

Marseille

On 27 July , Morientes agreed to a deal at France's Olympique de Marseille on a free transfer for one year, reuniting with former Monaco boss Didier Deschamps.[52] During his first and only season he was only the fourth of five strikers in the squad, his only Ligue 1 goal coming on 26 September in what his first start, opening a 3–2 loss at Valenciennes FC.[53]

Morientes was released on 1 July , by mutual consent.[54] On 31 August, the year-old announced his retirement from football.[55]

Coaching and brief return as player

Morientes started his career as manager with Huracán Valencia CF, taking charge of its youth academy.[56] In he returned to Real Madrid, being appointed at the Juvenil B team in the youth academy.[57]

In January , at 38, Morientes returned to playing, signing with DAV Santa Ana in the Madrid regional championships.[58] In June, he became manager of CF Fuenlabrada, but was sacked the following 17 February with the team 11th in Segunda División B.[59]

International career

Morientes was a reliable performer for the Spain national team since , scoring a brace in the first five minutes of his debut against Sweden on 25 March[60] and adding a further two in each of his next two games, against Northern Ireland[61] and Bulgaria respectively. He ranked fourth on the Spanish all-time topscorer's list with 27 goals in 47 appearances, behind former Real Madrid teammate Raúl, former Valencia teammate Villa and former Madrid captainFernando Hierro (who took the majority of Spain's free kicks and penalties), although his goals-to-games ratio was higher than Raúl and Hierro.

Morientes netted five goals in the two FIFA World Cups he featured in, with two goals in [63] and three in In the latter edition he and Raúl played together up front, and both showed impressive form in the tournament; during the quarter-final match against South Korea the former scored a goal in extra-time that was disallowed, although replays suggested the goal was legitimate – Spain eventually lost the match on penalties.[64][65]

After being a surprise omission at UEFA Euro , with coach José Antonio Camacho later admitting after being ousted in the quarter-finals that he had made a mistake by picking Ismael Urzaiz instead,[66] Morientes was selected for Euro in Portugal,[67] where he scored one of only two goals that the side could manage,[68] in a subsequent group-stage exit. He also played for the nation during the World Cup qualifiers; however, due to his poor club form for Liverpool, he was not chosen by national team coach Luis Aragonés in the final squad for the tournament, although he was part of an initial man list.[69]

Following his return to form after moving to Valencia, Morientes was recalled to the national side. He scored his 27th goal for Spain in a Euro qualifier against Denmark on 24 March Injured four days later against Iceland in another qualifying fixture, he was not recalled again.[70]

Style of play

Morientes was regarded one of the top strikers of his generation, forming a notable and highly successful partnership with Raúl at Real Madrid. A quick, creative and hard-working player, he excelled in the air and was an accurate finisher with his head and with his feet, both inside and outside the area; he was also an accurate free kick taker,[71][72] and was capable of playing off another striker.[73][74][75]

In his later career, as he lost his pace, Morientes often played in a supporting role, using his strength and control to hold up the ball for teammates.[71]

Media

Morientes was featured in the EA Sports' FIFA video game series: he was on the cover for the Spanish edition of FIFA 99, and also appeared in FIFA Football .[76]

Morientes competed in the third season of Mask Singer: Adivina quién canta as "Gorila", being declared joint winner with Ana Torroja as "Ratita".[77]

Career statistics

Club

International

National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain67
62
00
43
115
33
84
42
20
31
Total4727
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Morientes goal.[80]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
125 March Balaídos, Vigo, Spain&#;Sweden1–04–0Friendly
22–0
33 June El Sardinero, Santander, Spain&#;Northern Ireland3–14–1Friendly
44–1
524 June Félix Bollaert, Lens, France&#;Bulgaria3–06–1 FIFA World Cup
64–1
75 September Antonis Papadopoulos, Larnaca, Cyprus&#;Cyprus2–32–3Euro qualifying
818 August Polish Army, Warsaw, Poland&#;Poland1–12–1Friendly
910 October Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Spain&#;Israel1–03–0Euro qualifying
1028 March Mestalla, Valencia, Spain&#;France2–02–1Friendly
111 September Mestalla, Valencia, Spain&#;Austria2–04–1 World Cup qualification
123–0
1313 February Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain&#;Portugal1–11–1Friendly
1417 April Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland&#;Northern Ireland5–05–0Friendly
157 June Jeonju World Cup, Jeonju, South Korea&#;Paraguay1–13–1 FIFA World Cup
162–1
1716 June Suwon World Cup, Suwon, South Korea&#;Republic of Ireland1–01–1 FIFA World Cup
1830 April Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain&#;Ecuador2–04–0Friendly
193–0
204–0
2131 March El Molinón, Gijón, Spain&#;Denmark1–02–0Friendly
225 June Alfonso Pérez, Getafe, Spain&#;Andorra1–04–0Friendly
2316 June Bessa, Porto, Portugal&#;Greece1–01–1UEFA Euro
2418 August Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain&#;Venezuela1–03–2Friendly
253 September El Sardinero, Santander, Spain&#;Canada2–02–1Friendly
2612 November Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain&#;Slovakia5–15–1 World Cup qualification
2724 March Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain&#;Denmark1–02–1Euro qualifying

Honours

Real Madrid[81]

Monaco

Liverpool

Valencia

Marseille

Spain U21

Individual

References

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  2. ^"FIFA Club World Championship Japan – Official rosters". FIFA. 4 December Archived from the original on 19 December Retrieved 28 December
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  43. ^