André Francisco Moritz (born 6 August 1986) is a Brazilian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or winger. During his career, he also played for football clubs in Turkey, England, India, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore.

Career

Internacional

Moritz began his career with

Avaí FC Avaí Futebol Clube () is a Brazilian football team from Florianópolis in Santa Catarina, founded on 1 September 1923. Their home stadium is Estádio Aderbal Ramos da Silva, also known as Ressacada, with a capacity of 17,800. They play in b ...

's youth categories, signing a professional contract with

SC Internacional Sport Club Internacional (), commonly known as Internacional, Inter de Porto Alegre, a cidade do Grêmio or simply Inter, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre. They play in the Série A, the first division of the ...

in 2003, aged 16. He was assigned to the academy and was top goal scorer in most of the Youth tournaments. He was promoted to first team in 2006, playing some matches in State League.

Fluminense

Due to limited chances, Moritz signed a contract with Fluminense. He helped the club to avoid relegation in the last game of the season, and also to win the

2007 Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil 2007 is the 19th staging of the Copa do Brasil. The competition started on February 14, 2007 and concluded on June 6, 2007 with the second leg of the final, held at the Estádio Orlando Scarpelli in Florianópolis, in which F ...

Kasımpaşa

Moritz left Fluminense and moved to Europe to signed a contract with Turkish club Kasımpaşa in 2007. He scored 19 goals and contribute 3 assists in 67 appearances during his time at the club.

Kayserispor

After three full seasons in Kasımpaşa, he signed a three-year contract with

Kayserispor Kayseri Spor Kulübü, commonly known as Kayserispor, and also called Bellona Kayserispor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club based in Kayseri. They play their home matches at the RHG Enertürk Enerji Stadium ...

Mersin İdman Yurdu

In 2011, Moritz signed a two-year contract with

Mersin İdman Yurdu Mersin İdman Yurdu was a Turkish sports club from Mersin, Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Region. The team played in the Turkish first division for 15 seasons, and after the 1983–84 season the football team played in the Turkish second and ...

in the summer.

Trials at Rangers

Moritz then went on trial at

Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...

in Scotland. On 15 August 2012, his trial period at Rangers came to and end. Moritz said "My time with Rangers has come to an end, I enjoyed it but it was not meant to be... Talking with English clubs..."

Crystal Palace

On 24 August 2012, Moritz signed a one-year contract with

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

playing in the

2012–13 Football League Championship The 2012–13 Football League Championship (known as the npower Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of the league under its current title and twentieth season under its current league division format. The season began on 1 ...

. On 6 November 2012, he scored his first goal for Crystal Palace in the 5–0 victory over

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...

, in

Ian Holloway Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who is the manager of club Swindon Town. A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League with ...

's first game in charge. In his next match, he scored the equaliser for Crystal Palace in a 2–1 win against

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...

on 10 November 2012, continuing his goalscoring run, before finding the net again on 17 November 2012 with a volley against

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

– his third goal in three games. He then went on to score two free kicks against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

on 1 January 2013, receiving praise from Crystal Palace manager, Ian Holloway. Crystal Palace finished fourth in the league which sees them qualify to the 2013 Championship play-offs which the club returns back to the

English Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

after an eight-year absence by defeating

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

1–0 in the Championship play-off final at the

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

Bolton Wanderers

Moritz joined

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

on a one-year deal on 1 August 2013. On 9 November, Moritz scored his first goal for Bolton Wanderers against

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

in a 3–1 victory. In July 2014, Bolton confirmed that at the expiration of his contract, Moritz had left the club.

Mumbai City

On 10 October 2014, it was announced that Moritz will play for Mumbai City in the inaugural

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...

. On 18 October, Moritz scored his first goal for the club en route to the league's first ever hat-trick in a 5–0 win over

FC Pune City Football Club Pune City was an Indian professional Association football, football club based in Pune, Maharashtra, which last participated in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football league system, under licence from All Ind ...

at the DY Patil Stadium.

Pohang Steelers

In September 2014, Moritz travelled to Asia to join South Korean Club,

Pohang Steelers The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of Football in South Korea, South Ko ...

on a two-year contract which began on 1 January 2015.

Return to Mumbai City on loan

On 24 July 2015, Moritz agreed to return to Mumbai City for the 2015 season, but after only one game in October, Moritz returned to parent club

Buriram United

On 6 December 2015, Moritz joined Buriram United in

Thai Premier League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

for the 2016 season. On 23 February 2016, he left the club citing family reasons.

Denizlispor

On 27 July 2016, Moritz returned to Turkey after 4 years to joined

Denizlispor Denizlispor is a Turkish sports club based in Denizli. It is known by its distinct green and black colors. The club's branches include football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and gymnastics. The Denizli Atatürk Stadium, which has a seati ...

which is playing in the 2016–17 TFF First League.

Return to Avaí

On 3 January 2018, Moritz returned to his boyhood club,

Avaí Avaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 5,436 (2020 est.) in an area of 540 km2. Media In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia Telefônica Brasileira until 1973, when it began to be serve ...

to play in the Brazilian second tier, the

2018 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The 2018 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B was a football competition held in Brazil, equivalent to the second division. Twenty teams competed in the tournament, twelve returning from the 2017 season, four promoted from the 2017 Campeonato Brasileir ...

. He was part of the club promotion to the first tier of Brazilian league, the

2019 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 2019 (officially the Brasileirão Assaí 2019 for sponsorship reasons) was the 63rd season of the , the top level of professional football in Brazil, and the 16th edition in a double round-robin since its establishment in 2003. The competiti ...

Londrina

On 25 September 2019, Moritz joined

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B, the Série B or the Brazilian Série B to distinguish it from the Italian and the Ecuadorian Serie B), and currently officially called Brasileirão Série B ...

club,

Londrina Londrina (, literally "Little London") is a city located in the north of the state of Paraná (state), Paraná, South Region, Brazil, and is 388 km (241 miles) away from the state capital, Curitiba. It is the second largest city in the state and f ...

Confiança

On 10 June 2020, Moritz joined

Campeonato Brasileiro Série C The Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, commonly known as the Série C or the Brazilian Série C to distinguish it from the Italian Serie C, is the third tier of the Brazilian football league system. Unlike the first and second divisions, the Sér ...

club, Confiança. He helped the club to win the 2020 Campeonato Sergipano league title

Hougang United

After a year without a club, Moritz has signed up with Singaporean club,

Hougang United Hougang United Football Club is a professional football club based in Hougang, Singapore. The club competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singaporean football. Founded in 1998 as Marine Castle United, the club changed its ...

for the 2022 Singapore Premier League season. On 11 March 2022, Moritz scored his first two goals against

Geylang International Geylang International Football Club is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore, that competes in Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club was founded in 1973 and played their first season ...

. After Geylang scored in the 89' minute to equalise the game at 2–2, Moritz scored his second goal from the whistle of the kick off, with a 45-yard screamer from the half-way line to give Hougang a 3–2 victory against Geylang International. His goal was nominated for the 2022 SPL Goal of the Year. On 6 May 2022, Moritz was instrumental in the game against

Lion City Sailors Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as the Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional association football, football club based in Bishan, Singapore, Bishan. It competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Si ...

scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assists in the dying minutes but it wasn't enough as Hougang fell short to a 4–3 defeat. On 24 June 2022, Moritz scored secured the win for the club in the

2022 AFC Cup The 2022 AFC Cup was the 19th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club association football, football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). This season was the last in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule; ...

group stage fixtures against Cambodian side, Phnom Penh Crown in a 4–3 win. Moritz then went on to score in three consecutive games against Geylang International on 11 September 2022, Albirex Niigata Singapore on 2 October 2022 and

Tampines Rovers Tampines Rovers Football Club (currently known as BG Tampines Rovers due to sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football, football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of t ...

on 8 October 2022. Moritz was then given the opportunity to lead the club as their captain during the last match of the 2022 Singapore Cup against Tampines Rovers on 6 November 2022 which he helped Hougang United en route to the final to win the cup, their first ever piece of silverware in the club history cementing his place as a club legend. On 5 July 2023, Moritz announced his retirement from football.

Personal life

Moritz has got a two tattoos on his right elbow as one dedicated to his parents and one is an iconographic symbol of

Star and crescent The conjoined representation of a star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some Muslims as a sym ...

. Moritz learned to speak Turkish during his spells in Turkey. In 2010, he expressed that he would be delighted to play for the Turkey national team. Moritz was also the ambassador of Crystal Palace when the club plays their pre-season friendlies match in Singapore against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

on 15 July 2022.

Honours

Fluminense *

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil () is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Crystal Palace *

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

: 2012–13 Buriram United *

Toyota Premier Cup The Toyota Premier Cup was a single-game cup competition organized by the Toyota and Football Association of Thailand and was first played in 2011. It features the winners of the Thai League Cup and an invited team from the J1 League. The compet ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Kor Royal Cup Kor Royal Cup (), known as the Yai Cup () until 1963, was the highest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand from 1916 to 1995. It was founded by the Football Association of Thailand in 1916. Department of ...

Avaí *

Campeonato Catarinense The Campeonato Catarinense is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. It is run by the Santa Catarina Football Federation (FCF). History The Catarinense has had different names throughout ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Confiança *

Campeonato Sergipano The Campeonato Sergipano is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Sergipe. It is run by the Sergipe Football Federation (FSF). Professionalism was introduced into Sergipe football in 1960, with the first ...

: 2020 Hougang United *

Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moritz, Andre 1986 births Living people Brazilian people of German descent Brazilian men's footballers Footballers from Florianópolis Men's association football midfielders SC Internacional players Fluminense FC players Andre Moritz Kasımpaşa S.K. footballers Crystal Palace F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Kayserispor footballers Denizlispor footballers Mersin Talim Yurdu footballers Avaí FC players Mumbai City FC players Pohang Steelers players Londrina Esporte Clube players Associação Desportiva Confiança players Hougang United FC players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players Süper Lig players TFF 1. Lig players K League 1 players Indian Super League players English Football League players Singapore Premier League players Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in India Expatriate men's footballers in India Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Singapore Expatriate men's footballers in Singapore 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen