Héctor Moreno facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Héctor Moreno

Moreno with Mexico at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Héctor Alfredo Moreno Herrera
Date of birth	(1988-01-17) 17 January 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Monterrey
Number	15
Youth career
2003–2006	UNAM
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2007	UNAM	44	(2)
2008–2011	AZ	80	(6)
2011–2015	Espanyol	118	(7)
2015–2017	PSV	61	(11)
2017–2018	Roma	5	(0)
2018–2019	Real Sociedad	33	(2)
2019–2021	Al-Gharafa	34	(1)
2021–	Monterrey	105	(1)
International career‡
2005	Mexico U17	6	(2)
2007	Mexico U20	4	(1)
2007–2023	Mexico	132	(5)
Medal record Representing  Mexico Winner FIFA U-17 World Championship 2005 Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2011 Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019 Runner-up CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 05:00, 17 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2023

Héctor Alfredo Moreno Herrera (born on January 17, 1988) is a Mexican professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back for the Liga MX club Monterrey.

Moreno started his football journey in the youth teams of Club Universidad Nacional. He made his first team debut in 2006 when he was 18. A year later, he moved to the Netherlands to play for AZ Alkmaar. There, he won his first league title.

In 2011, he joined the Spanish team Espanyol. He played there for four years before returning to the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven. Later, in 2017, Moreno had a short time with Roma in Italy. He then moved back to Spain to play for Real Sociedad. In 2019, he joined Al-Gharafa in Qatar. In 2021, he came back to Mexico to play for Monterrey.

Moreno was part of the Mexico national under-17 team that won the 2005 World Championship in Peru. He has also played for the senior Mexico team in many big tournaments. These include the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 2011 and 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Copa América Centenario, and the 2013 and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Club Football Journey

Starting at UNAM

Héctor Moreno joined Club Universidad Nacional's youth academy in 2003 when he was 15. He quickly moved up to the main team. This happened after he helped the Mexico U-17 team win the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 2005.

Moreno played his first professional game in the Clausura 2006 tournament. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Santos Laguna on January 22. He played his first full game on February 12 in a 2–0 win over Veracruz. The next week, he scored his first goal in a 1–3 loss to Cruz Azul. He soon became a regular player for UNAM.

In the Apertura 2007 season, Moreno played in his only league final with UNAM. They lost to Atlante with a total score of 2–1.

Playing in the Netherlands with AZ

On December 13, 2007, Moreno moved to the Dutch club AZ. He made his Eredivisie debut on March 1, 2008, in a 1–1 draw against Roda JC. In April 2009, Moreno and AZ won their first Eredivisie title. He also signed a contract extension to stay with the club until 2014.

On July 25, AZ won the Johan Cruyff Shield by beating Heerenveen 5–1. Moreno played his first UEFA Champions League game on September 16. On February 7, 2010, he scored a header to give AZ a 2–1 win over Feyenoord. He scored three more goals that season, helping his team win games against RKC Waalwijk and Willem II.

Time with Espanyol in Spain

On June 22, 2011, Moreno moved to the Spanish La Liga club Espanyol. He signed a five-year contract. He made his La Liga debut on August 28 against Mallorca. On September 26, he scored his first goal for Espanyol in a 1–3 loss to Levante. He scored two more goals that season against Valencia and Racing de Santander.

In October 2012, Moreno was named Espanyol's Player of the Year for the 2011–12 season. He played 35 league matches and scored three goals.

Before the 2014–15 season, Moreno had a broken left leg while playing for Mexico at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This injury needed surgery and kept him out of action for a few months. He returned to play on November 14 in a friendly match. His official return for Espanyol was on December 2 in a cup game against Alavés.

Success with PSV Eindhoven

On August 15, 2015, PSV Eindhoven signed Moreno. He returned to the Eredivisie and signed a four-year contract.

Moreno started his first game for PSV on September 12 in a 6–0 win. A few days later, in a 2015–16 UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United, Moreno scored a goal that helped PSV win 2–1. He was named the UEFA Man of the Match for that game.

On January 17, 2016, Moreno scored in PSV's 2–0 win over Feyenoord. A week later, he scored two goals in one game for the first time, as PSV beat Twente 4–2. His teammate, Andrés Guardado, helped set up both goals.

On May 8, Moreno played a full game as PSV beat PEC Zwolle 3–1. This win made them 2015–16 Eredivisie champions.

In the next season, Moreno played in 39 matches and scored seven goals. This was his highest goal count in a single season.

Short Time at Roma

On June 13, 2017, Moreno joined the Italian team Roma. He signed a four-year contract. He made his Serie A debut on September 16 in Roma's 3–0 win over Hellas Verona.

Back to Spain with Real Sociedad

Moreno playing with Real Sociedad in 2018

On January 31, 2018, the Spanish club Real Sociedad announced that Moreno was joining them from Roma. He signed with the club until 2021. On February 15, he played his first game for Real Sociedad in the Europa League. He scored his first goal for the team on March 4 against Deportivo Alavés, helping his team win 2–1.

Playing in Qatar with Al-Gharafa

Moreno moved to Al-Gharafa in Qatar in July 2019. He was the first Mexican international player to play in the Qatar Stars League. He made his debut on August 22 in a 3–0 win. On November 9, he scored his first goal for the team in a 2–0 victory.

Return to Mexico with Monterrey

On June 7, 2021, Moreno joined Monterrey as a free agent. In October 2021, Monterrey won the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. They beat América in the final.

In December 2022, Moreno was named captain of Monterrey for the 2023 Clausura season. This happened after the previous captain, César Montes, left the team.

International Career for Mexico

Youth Teams

Moreno was chosen to play in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru. Mexico won the tournament, beating Brazil 3–0 in the final.

Moreno also played in the 2006 Toulon Tournament. Mexico finished third in their group.

In Mexico's first game at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Moreno played as a defensive midfielder. He scored Mexico's third goal in a 3–0 win against Gambia. Mexico won their group but lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals.

Senior National Team

Moreno disputing the ball against Argentina's Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup

Moreno made his debut for the senior national team on October 17, 2007. This was in a friendly game against Guatemala.

He was part of the 23-player squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played in the group stage match against France, which Mexico won 2–0. Moreno also started against Uruguay.

Moreno was called up for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Mexico won this tournament. He played in all of Mexico's matches, including the final against the United States, which Mexico won 4–2.

On June 12, 2012, Moreno scored his first goal for Mexico. It was the winning goal in a 2–1 game against El Salvador in a World Cup qualifying match.

He played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He appeared in every match, but Mexico finished third in their group.

On June 5, 2014, Moreno was named in the final squad for the 2014 World Cup. In the round of 16 match against the Netherlands, Moreno suffered a broken leg. This injury kept him out of action for several months.

On June 27, 2015, Moreno had to leave a friendly match due to pain in his foot. He had surgery on his right foot and missed the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Mexico won the tournament. He later played in the CONCACAF Cup against the United States, which Mexico won 3–2 in overtime.

In May 2016, he was called up for the Copa América Centenario.

He played in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored a late goal to tie the game 2–2 against Portugal. He played in all five matches of the tournament.

In May 2018, Moreno was chosen for Mexico's squad for the World Cup. He played in all group stage matches. However, he missed the round of 16 game against Brazil due to yellow cards.

On June 6, 2019, Moreno was called up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He returned to play in the quarter-final match against Costa Rica. He came on as a substitute and scored in the penalty shoot-out. On July 2, Moreno played his 100th match for Mexico. Mexico won the tournament, beating the United States 1–0 in the final.

In the 2021 Gold Cup, Moreno was expected to be captain. However, he did not play until the final group stage match because he was not fully fit. In the final against the United States, Moreno left the game early due to an injury. Mexico lost the match 1–0.

In October 2022, Moreno was named in Mexico's squad for the World Cup.

How Héctor Moreno Plays

Moreno training with Real Sociedad in 2018

Héctor Moreno is a left-footed defender. He is known for being able to start attacks from the back of the field. He has excellent passing skills, which is important for modern centre-backs. Experts say he can "read and quickly react" to difficult situations. He also has good awareness of where he needs to be on the field. He often keeps a strong defensive position, making it hard for opposing players to get past him.

Personal Life

In January 2021, Moreno signed a deal with the Mexican sports brand Charly.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Moreno goal.

List of international goals scored by Héctor Moreno

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	12 June 2012	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	2–1	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	2 September 2016	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	1–1	3–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	18 June 2017	Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia	Portugal	2–2	2–2	2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
4	22 March 2019	SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, United States	Chile	2–0	3–1	Friendly
5	13 October 2021	Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Awards and Achievements

Héctor Moreno has won several titles and awards throughout his career:

With AZ (Netherlands)

• Eredivisie: 2008–09 (Dutch League Champions)
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2009 (Dutch Super Cup)

With PSV (Netherlands)

• Eredivisie: 2015–16 (Dutch League Champions)
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2016 (Dutch Super Cup)

With Monterrey (Mexico)

• CONCACAF Champions League: 2021 (Top club competition in North America)

With Mexico U17 National Team

• FIFA U-17 World Championship: 2005 (World Champions for U-17 teams)

With Mexico Senior National Team

• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2011, 2019 (Top national team competition in North America)
• CONCACAF Cup: 2015 (Play-off match winner)
• CONCACAF Nations League runner-up: 2019–20
• CONCACAF Nations League third place: 2022–23

Individual Awards

• CONCACAF Best XI: 2015, 2017, 2021 (Recognized as one of the best players in North America)
• AD Eredivisie Best XI: 2015–16 (Named one of the best players in the Dutch league)
• IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of the Decade: 2011–2020 (Chosen as one of the best players in North America for that decade)

See also

In Spanish: Héctor Moreno para niños

• List of footballers with 100 or more caps