Fernando Morena Belora (born 2 February 1952) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer who played as a striker. His most known nicknames were "Nando"(abridged form of Fernando) and "Potrillo" (Colt, although young stallion is a better translation in this case), and he is the all-time top goal scorer in the history of the Uruguayan Primera División with 230 goals in 244 games.[1] He scored 268 in his almost 20-year career.

Fernando Morena
Morena in 2011
Personal information
Full name Fernando Morena Belora
Date of birth (1952-02-02) 2 February 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth Punta Gorda, Montevideo, Uruguay
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968 Racing Montevideo
1969–1972 River Plate Montevideo 48 (27)
1973–1979 Peñarol 140 (162)
1979–1980 Rayo Vallecano 34 (21)
1980–1981 Valencia 31 (16)
1981–1983 Peñarol 50 (39)
1984 Boca Juniors 7 (1)
1984 Peñarol 6 (2)
Total 316 (268)
International career
1971–1983 Uruguay 53 (22)
Managerial career
1988 Peñarol
1989 Huracán Buceo
1991 Real Murcia
1996–1998 River Plate Montevideo
1999–2000 Colo-Colo
2003 River Plate Montevideo
2005 Peñarol
Medal record
Representing  Uruguay
Copa América
Winner 1983
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Morena drinking mate in 1982

Fernando Morena started as a professional football player in 1968 with Racing Club de Montevideo, which he left in 1969, signing for the nearby team, River Plate from Montevideo, where he played until 1972. Morena joined Peñarol in 1973. In his first run with the club, he won four Uruguayan Primera championships.[2] He was the top scorer in the Uruguayan soccer league for six consecutive years between 1973 and 1978, and was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores in 1974 and 1975.[3]

In 1979, Fernando Morena signed up with the Spanish team Rayo Vallecano, but spent just one season there before changing to Valencia in 1980. Morena returned to Peñarol in 1981, where he helped the team win two more Uruguayan league titles in 1981 and 1982.[2] They also won the Copa de Oro in 1981, the Copa Libertadores in 1982,[4] and the 1982 Intercontinental Cup.[5]

In 1983, Fernando Morena joined the Brazilian soccer team Flamengo and in 1984, he played for Boca Juniors of Argentina. He finished his professional career in Peñarol in 1985.

International career

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Fernando made his debut for the Uruguay national team on 27 October 1971 against Chile in a 3–0 win, where he scored his first goal. He was part of the national team that represented Uruguay at the 1974 World Cup. He went on to obtain a total of 54 international caps, scoring 22 goals which currently ranks him as the joint eighth-highest scorer in the history of the team. On 4 September 1983, Morena suffered a tibia and fibula fracture when playing against Venezuela for the Copa America. He never played for the national team after that incident, though he is still officially considered a part of the Uruguayan team that won the Copa América in 1983.

Coaching career

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After retiring, he held several coaching positions in Uruguay, Spain and Chile. His first coaching job was in River Plate, which was followed by Peñarol, Real Murcia in Spain, Huracán Buceo, Rampla Juniors, Colo Colo in Chile and a second run in Peñarol in 2005. In 2009, he was designated as Manager of Institutional Relations at Peñarol.[6]

Career statistics

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International

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Morena with Uruguay at the 1974 World Cup
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Uruguay[7] 1971 1 1
1972 5 0
1973 8 5
1974 10 7
1975 5 3
1976 10 0
1977 6 2
1978 3 1
1979 0 0
1980 0 0
1981 0 0
1982 0 0
1983 5 3
Total 53 22

Honours

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Club

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Peñarol

Valencia

International

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Uruguay

Individual

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Records

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  • He scored 230 goals in Uruguayan championships, making him the highest scoring player in the history of Uruguayan league football. He scored a total of 268 goals throughout his football career.[1]
  • He holds the Uruguayan domestic record for the most goals scored in a game, with 7 goals against Huracán Buceo, it could have been 8 but he missed a penalty in the final minutes of the game.[9]
  • He is the highest goalscorer in a Uruguayan Primera league season with 36 goals in 1978.[9]
  • Three times top scorer in the Copa Libertadores (1974, 1975 and 1982).[3]
  • Highest scoring Uruguayan player in the history of the Copa Libertadores with 37 goals in 77 games.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Maxim Olenev. "Uruguay — All-Time Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b Karel Stokkermans. "Uruguay — List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Juan Pablo Andrés; Frank Ballesteros. "Copa Libertadores — Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  4. ^ John Beuker. "Copa Libertadores 1982". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  5. ^ Josef Bobrowsky. "Intercontinental Club Cup 1982". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  6. ^ Official Peñarol Website
  7. ^ "Fernando Morena - AUF". Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  8. ^ "South American Player of the Year 1975". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  9. ^ a b Martín Tabeira. "Uruguay — League Top Scorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
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