Fernando Morientes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fernando Morientes

Morientes in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth	(1976-04-05) 5 April 1976 (age 49)
Place of birth	Cilleros, Spain
Height	1.84 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Sonseca
1992–1993	Albacete
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1993–1995	Albacete	22	(5)
1995–1997	Zaragoza	66	(28)
1997–2005	Real Madrid	183	(72)
2003–2004	→ Monaco (loan)	28	(10)
2005–2006	Liverpool	41	(8)
2006–2009	Valencia	66	(19)
2009–2010	Marseille	12	(1)
2015	Santa Ana	3	(0)
Total		421	(143)
National team
1993–1994	Spain U18	12	(10)
1995	Spain U20	5	(1)
1995–1998	Spain U21	16	(4)
1996	Spain U23	2	(0)
1998–2007	Spain	47	(27)
Teams managed
2012	Huracán (youth)
2012–2014	Real Madrid (youth)
2015–2016	Fuenlabrada
Honours Representing  Spain UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 1998 Romania Runner-up 1996 Spain
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Fernando Morientes Sánchez (born 5 April 1976) is a famous Spanish former footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was mainly focused on scoring goals.

During his career, he played for many big clubs. These included Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool, and Valencia. In the Spanish league, La Liga, he scored 124 goals in 337 games. He won 11 major trophies with Real Madrid, including three Champions League titles.

Morientes also played 47 games for the Spanish national team. He played in two World Cups and scored five goals in total. He also played in Euro 2004. After retiring as a player, he briefly worked as a manager.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Spain

Fernando Morientes was born in Cilleros, Spain. He started his professional football journey at Albacete Balompié. He played his first game in La Liga in November 1993. Soon after, he scored his first professional goal in October 1994. He scored five goals in 20 league games that season.

In 1995, Morientes joined Real Zaragoza. He played there for two seasons. He often played alongside another striker named Dani. He scored his first professional hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a cup match in January 1996. A few weeks later, he scored another hat-trick in a league game.

Becoming a Star at Real Madrid

Morientes' great performances caught the eye of Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world. He joined them in 1997. At first, he was a backup player. But he soon became a regular starter. In his first year, he scored 12 goals in 33 matches. Real Madrid also won the Champions League that season.

He had a fantastic season in 1998–99, scoring 19 league goals. In 1999–2000, he scored 19 goals again. He helped Real Madrid win their second Champions League title in three years. He even scored in the final against Valencia CF. The next season, he won his first league title with Real Madrid.

In the 2001–02 season, Morientes scored 18 league goals. He even scored five goals in one game against UD Las Palmas. Real Madrid won the Champions League again that year. Morientes played in the final and earned his third Champions League winner's medal.

In 2002, Real Madrid signed the famous Brazilian player Ronaldo. This meant Morientes played less often. Despite rumors of him moving to other clubs, he stayed. He helped Real Madrid win the league title in 2003.

Loan to Monaco and Return

For the 2003–04 season, Morientes was loaned to Ligue 1 team Monaco. He played very well there, scoring ten goals in the league. He was especially amazing in the Champions League. He finished as the top scorer with nine goals.

Monaco even played against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. Morientes scored in both games against his old club. Monaco won the match and moved on! He also scored in the semi-finals against Chelsea. Monaco reached the final but lost to FC Porto.

After his loan, Morientes returned to Real Madrid. But with more new players, he decided to move on. In January 2005, he joined Liverpool in England. He played 272 games for Real Madrid and scored 100 goals.

Time at Liverpool

Morientes playing for Liverpool in 2005

Morientes made his debut for Liverpool in January 2005. He scored his first goal for the club in February. He helped Liverpool win the FA Cup in 2006. He also won the 2005 UEFA Super Cup. However, he could not play in the Champions League that season because of rules about players moving clubs. Liverpool went on to win the Champions League that year.

Morientes scored 12 goals in 61 games for Liverpool. He also played in the finals of the League Cup and the FIFA Club World Championship, but Liverpool lost both.

Back to Spain with Valencia

In May 2006, Morientes moved back to Spain to play for Valencia. He quickly found his scoring form again. He scored in his first league game and got a hat-trick in his first Champions League game for Valencia. He played well with teammate David Villa.

In 2007–08, Morientes helped Valencia win the Copa del Rey. He scored a goal in the final against Getafe CF. He had some injuries that season, which kept him off the field. In his final season at Valencia, he played fewer games as younger players took his spot.

Final Playing Days in France

In July 2009, Morientes moved to France to play for Olympique de Marseille. He joined them on a free transfer. He played for one season there, scoring one goal in the league.

On 1 July 2010, Morientes left Marseille. On 31 August, at 34 years old, he announced he was retiring from professional football.

Coaching and a Short Comeback

After retiring, Morientes started a career in coaching. He worked with youth teams at Huracán Valencia CF and then at Real Madrid.

In January 2015, at 38, Morientes surprised everyone by playing football again! He signed with a local team called DAV Santa Ana in Madrid. He played three games before stopping again. In June, he became the manager of CF Fuenlabrada, but he left the role in February 2016.

International Career

Morientes was a very important player for the Spanish national team starting in 1998. He scored two goals in his very first game against Sweden. He then scored two more goals in each of his next two games! He is one of Spain's top goal scorers, with 27 goals in 47 games.

He played in two World Cups. He scored two goals in the 1998 World Cup and three goals in the 2002 World Cup. In the 2002 World Cup, he and Raúl played very well together. In a quarter-final match against South Korea, Morientes scored a goal in extra time that was disallowed, even though replays showed it looked like a good goal. Spain ended up losing that game on penalties.

Morientes also played in Euro 2004 in Portugal. He scored one of Spain's only two goals in that tournament. Spain did not make it past the group stage. He was not chosen for the 2006 World Cup team because his club form was not at its best.

After playing well for Valencia, Morientes was called back to the national team. He scored his 27th goal for Spain in a Euro 2008 qualifying game in March 2007.

How He Played

Fernando Morientes was known as one of the best strikers of his time. He worked very well with Raúl at Real Madrid. He was a fast, creative, and hard-working player. He was excellent at heading the ball and could score accurately with both his head and his feet. He was also good at taking free kicks.

Later in his career, as he got older and a bit slower, Morientes often played in a supporting role. He used his strength to hold the ball and create chances for his teammates.

Morientes in Media

Morientes was featured in the popular EA Sports' FIFA video game series. He was even on the cover of the Spanish edition of FIFA 99. He also appeared in FIFA Football 2005.

More recently, Morientes appeared on the Spanish TV show Mask Singer: Adivina quién canta. He was dressed as "Gorila" (Gorilla) and was one of the winners of the season!

Honours and Awards

Here are some of the major trophies and awards Fernando Morientes won:

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2000–01, 2002–03
• Supercopa de España: 2001
• UEFA Champions League: 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02
• Intercontinental Cup: 1998, 2002

Monaco

• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2003–04

Liverpool

• FA Cup: 2005–06
• UEFA Super Cup: 2005
• Football League Cup runner-up: 2004–05
• FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2005

Valencia

• Copa del Rey: 2007–08

Marseille

• Ligue 1: 2009–10
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1998 (Winner); 1996 (Runner-up)

Individual Awards

• UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2003–04
• UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2003–04
• Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2003–04

Images for kids

• 

  Morientes colliding with Real Madrid's Iker Casillas in the 2008 Supercopa de España

• 

  Morientes in a Champions League match against Real Madrid in September 2009

See also

In Spanish: Fernando Morientes para niños