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Héctor Moreno facts for kids

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For the Colombian racewalker, see Héctor Moreno (racewalker).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Moreno and the second or maternal family name is Herrera.
Quick facts for kids
Héctor Moreno
Mex-Kor (2).jpg
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
Playing position Centre-back
Club information
Current club 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 98 (1)
National team‡
2005 Mexico U17 6 (2)
2007 Mexico U20 4 (1)
2007–2023 Mexico 132 (5)
Honours
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
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 December 2024.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2023

Héctor Alfredo Moreno Herrera (born January 17, 1988) is a famous Mexican football player. He plays as a centre-back, which is a defensive position, for the Liga MX club Monterrey.

Moreno started his football journey in the youth teams of Club Universidad Nacional in Mexico. He made his first professional appearance in 2006 when he was just 18 years old. A year later, he moved to Europe to play for the Dutch team AZ Alkmaar, where he won his first league title.

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

Moreno was also a key player for the Mexican national under-17 team. They won the 2005 World Championship in Peru. He has represented Mexico in many big tournaments, including 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.

Héctor Moreno's Club Career

Starting with Club Universidad Nacional

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

Moreno played his first professional game in January 2006. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win. He soon became a regular player for the team. In 2007, Moreno played in his only league final with UNAM, but they lost the game.

Playing in the Netherlands with AZ

On December 13, 2007, Moreno moved to the Dutch club AZ. He made his debut in the Eredivisie league in March 2008. In April 2009, Moreno helped AZ win their first Eredivisie league title. He also signed a contract to stay with the club until 2014.

In July 2009, AZ won the Johan Cruyff Shield by beating Heerenveen 5–1. Moreno also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in September 2009. He scored important goals for AZ, including a winning header against Feyenoord in February 2010.

Time in Spain with Espanyol

On June 22, 2011, Moreno moved to the Spanish club Espanyol. He signed a five-year contract. He made his debut in La Liga in August and scored his first goal in September.

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

Before the 2014–15 season, Moreno had a serious injury. He broke his left shin bone while playing for Mexico at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This injury needed surgery and kept him from playing for several months. It was even rumored that this injury stopped him from joining Manchester United. Moreno returned to play in a friendly match in November and officially came back to Espanyol in December 2014.

Winning Titles with PSV

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

Moreno started his first game for PSV in September, playing all 90 minutes in a big 6–0 win. A few days later, during a 2015–16 UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United, Moreno was involved in a tackle that unfortunately broke the leg of player Luke Shaw. Moreno was not penalized for the tackle. He then scored a goal in the same match, helping PSV win 2–1. He was even named the UEFA Man of the Match.

In January 2016, Moreno scored in PSV's win over Feyenoord. A week later, he scored two goals in one game for the first time in his career. On May 8, Moreno played the full game as PSV won the 2015–16 Eredivisie league title.

In the next season, Moreno played in 39 matches and scored seven goals, which was his highest number of goals in a season.

Short Time with Roma

On June 13, 2017, Moreno joined the Italian team Roma. He signed a four-year contract. He made his Serie A debut in September, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 win.

Back to Spain with Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad - Red Bull Salzburgo 137 (40260886452)
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. He made his first game for Real Sociedad in the Europa League in February. He later scored his first goal for the team in March, helping them 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 in August and scored his first goal for the team in November.

Returning to Mexico with Monterrey

On June 7, 2021, Moreno joined Monterrey as a free player. In October 2021, Monterrey won the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League, a big tournament for clubs in North and Central America.

In December 2022, after the team's captain left, Moreno was named the new captain for the 2023 Clausura season.

Héctor Moreno's International Career

Youth National Teams

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

Moreno also played in the 2006 Toulon Tournament and the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the U-20 World Cup, he played as a defensive midfielder and scored a goal in Mexico's 3–0 win against Gambia.

Senior National Team

Argentina vs mexico messi vs hectormoreno (cropped)
Moreno playing against Argentina's Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup

Moreno made his first appearance for the senior national team on October 17, 2007, in a friendly game.

He was part of the Mexican squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played in important matches, including a 2–0 win against France.

Moreno helped the national team win the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. 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 the national team, which was the winning goal in a World Cup qualifying match against El Salvador.

He also played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the 2014 World Cup, he suffered a broken shin bone during a match against the Netherlands. This injury kept him out of action for several months.

In 2015, Moreno had another surgery on his right foot, which meant he missed the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. However, he later played in the CONCACAF Cup where Mexico beat the United States 3–2 in overtime.

Moreno was called up for the Copa América Centenario in 2016 and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the Confederations Cup, he scored a late goal to draw 2–2 against Portugal.

In May 2018, Moreno was chosen for Mexico's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played in all the group stage matches.

On June 6, 2019, Moreno was called up for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He played his 100th match for Mexico in the semi-finals against Haiti. The team went on to win the tournament, beating the United States 1–0 in the final.

In 2021, Moreno was expected to be captain for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but he was not fully fit. Mexico lost the final 1–0 to the United States. In October 2022, Moreno was named in Mexico's team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Héctor Moreno's Playing Style

Héctor Moreno 2018
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 in difficult situations." He is also good at keeping a strong defensive position and forcing opposing players to make mistakes.

Personal Life

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

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
UNAM 2005–06 Primera División 6 1 — 4 0 — 10 1
2006–07 16 0 — — — 16 0
2007–08 22 1 — — — 22 1
Total 44 2 — 4 0 — 48 2
AZ 2007–08 Eredivisie 8 1 — — — 8 1
2008–09 15 0 1 1 — — 16 1
2009–10 30 4 1 0 6 0 1 0 38 4
2010–11 27 1 — 8 0 — 35 1
Total 80 6 2 1 14 0 1 0 97 7
Espanyol 2011–12 La Liga 35 3 5 0 — — 40 3
2012–13 32 2 1 0 — — 33 2
2013–14 32 1 5 0 — — 37 1
2014–15 19 1 7 0 — — 26 1
Total 118 7 18 0 — — 136 7
PSV 2015–16 Eredivisie 29 4 4 1 8 1 — 41 6
2016–17 32 7 1 0 6 0 — 39 7
Total 61 11 5 1 14 1 — 80 13
Roma 2017–18 Serie A 5 0 1 0 — — 6 0
Real Sociedad 2017–18 La Liga 8 1 — 1 0 — 9 1
2018–19 25 1 4 0 — — 29 1
Total 33 2 4 0 1 0 — 38 2
Al-Gharafa 2019–20 Qatar Stars League 21 1 1 0 — — 22 1
2020–21 13 0 1 0 1 0 — 15 0
Total 34 1 2 0 1 0 — 37 1
Monterrey 2020–21 Liga MX — — 2 0 — 2 0
2021–22 23 0 — — 2 0 25 0
2022–23 36 1 — — — 36 1
2023–24 23 0 — 7 1 6 0 36 1
2024–25 0 0 — — — 0 0
Total 82 1 — 9 1 8 0 99 2
Career total 457 30 33 2 43 2 9 0 542 34

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Mexico 2007 1 0
2008 1 0
2009 1 0
2010 11 0
2011 14 0
2012 9 1
2013 11 0
2014 8 0
2015 7 0
2016 10 1
2017 15 1
2018 6 0
2019 9 1
2020 4 0
2021 11 1
2022 12 0
2023 1 0
Total 132 5
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

Honours

AZ

PSV

Monterrey

Mexico U17

  • FIFA U-17 World Championship: 2005

Mexico

Individual

  • CONCACAF Best XI: 2015, 2017, 2021
  • AD Eredivisie Best XI: 2015–16
  • IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of the Decade: 2011–2020

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Héctor Moreno para niños

  • List of footballers with 100 or more caps
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