Júnior Morais

For the Jamaican footballer, see Junior Morias.

For the Brazilian-born Ukrainian footballer, see Junior Moraes.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Sousa and the second or paternal family name is Morais. "Júnior" is a generational suffix used for someone whose name is the same as their father, like "Jr." in English.

Iraneuton Sousa Morais Júnior (born 22 July 1986), known as Júnior Morais or Júnior Maranhão, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Süper Lig club Gaziantep.

Júnior Morais

Morais with FCSB in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Iraneuton Sousa Morais Júnior
Date of birth	(1986-07-22) 22 July 1986 (age 37)
Place of birth	São Luís, Brazil
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Left-back
Team information
Current team	Gaziantep
Number	13
Youth career
1998–2006	São Cristóvão
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2009	São Cristóvão	81	(5)
2009–2010	Freamunde	32	(3)
2011–2017	Astra Giurgiu	198	(6)
2017–2019	FCSB	49	(0)
2019–2021	Gaziantep	51	(0)
2021–2023	Rapid București	71	(4)
2023–	Gaziantep	15	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 February 2024

Career

Morais spent the first years of his senior career in Brazil and Portugal, with São Cristóvão and Freamunde, respectively. In 2011, he joined Astra Ploiești in Romania, which was later relocated and renamed Astra Giurgiu. Over the course of six and a half seasons, Morais totalled 256 matches and eight goals in all competitions for Astra; he also aided to four domestic trophies, including the 2015–16 Liga I title.

He continued in the country and its Liga I for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 campaigns, signing for FCSB.^[1] Morais transferred to Turkish club Gaziantep in the summer of 2019, where he rejoined former Astra manager Marius Șumudică.^[2] He spent two years in the Süper Lig before returning to Romania with Rapid București,^[3] aged nearly 35.

Personal life

In 2015, Morais married Romanian handballer Andreea Dospin. They have two children together, a girl and a boy, with his former Astra teammate Constantin Budescu baptizing them.^[4] Despite earlier reports, Morais stated in October 2020 that he does not hold Romanian citizenship.^[5]

Career statistics

 

Morais playing for Rapid București in August 2022

As of match played 24 February 2024^[6]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League		National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
São Cristóvão	2006			–		–		–		–
	2007			–		–		–		–
	2008			–		–		–		–
	2009			–		–		–		–
	Total	81	5	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	81	5
Freamunde	2009–10	19	2	2	1	0	0	–		–		21	3
	2010–11	13	1	0	0	3	0	–		–		16	1
	Total	32	3	2	1	3	0	–	–	–	–	37	4
Astra Giurgiu	2010–11	14	0	–		–		–		–		14	0
	2011–12	31	0	1	0	–		–		–		32	0
	2012–13	33	3	5	0	–		–		–		38	3
	2013–14	33	2	5	1	0	0	8	0	–		46	3
	2014–15	29	0	0	0	4	0	10	0	1	0	44	0
	2015–16	29	1	1	0	1	0	6	0	–		37	1
	2016–17	29	0	4	1	0	0	11	0	1	0	45	1
	Total	198	6	16	2	5	0	35	0	2	0	256	8
FCSB	2017–18	21	0	0	0	–		11	2	–		32	2
	2018–19	28	0	2	0	–		4	0	–		34	0
	Total	49	0	2	0	–	–	15	2	–	–	66	2
Gaziantep	2019–20	29	0	1	0	–		–		–		30	0
	2020–21	22	0	1	0	–		–		–		23	0
	Total	51	0	2	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	53	0
Rapid București	2021–22	34	2	1	0	–		–		–		35	2
	2022–23	36	2	1	0	–		–		–		37	2
	2023–24	1	0	–		–		–		–		1	0
	Total	71	4	2	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	73	4
Gaziantep	2023–24	15	0	2	0	–		–		–		17	0
Career total		497	18	26	3	8	0	50	2	2	0	583	23

Honours

Astra Giurgiu^[6]

• Liga I: 2015–16
• Cupa României: 2013–14
• Supercupa României: 2014, 2016

References

1. "Junior Morais a semnat un contract pe trei sezoane cu FCSB" [Júnior Morais signed a three-season contract with FCSB] (in Romanian). Mediafax. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
2. "Junior Morais, la Gaziantep Gazişehir! Preţul tranzacţiei" [Júnior Morais, to Gaziantep Gazişehir! The price of the transaction] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
3. "Junior Morais a semnat cu Rapid" [Júnior Morais signed for Rapid] (in Romanian). FC Rapid București. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
4. "Junior Morais este casatorit cu o fosta handbalista, care a evoluat la Oltchim! Cum s-au cunoscut cei doi" [Júnior Morais is married to a former handball player, who played for Oltchim! How the two of them met] (in Romanian). Sport.ro. 27 March 2019.
5. "Fotbalistul cu 200 de meciuri în Liga 1 rupe tăcerea: "Din cauza patronului nu am luat titlul cu FCSB!"" [The footballer with 200 matches in Liga 1 breaks the silence: "Because of the owner we didn't win the title with FCSB!"]. Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian). 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2021. It was just a picture, a joke I made on Instagram! I posted it there and people thought I had obtained citizenship.
6. Júnior Morais at Soccerway. Retrieved 5 July 2019.

External links

• Júnior Morais at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
• Astra Giurgiu official profile (in Romanian)