Diego Moreira

Diego Manuel Jadon da Silva Moreira, also known as Moreira Jr., is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a left-back, left wing-back or left midfielder for Ligue 1 club Strasbourg and the Belgium national team.

Early life

Moreira was born in Liège, where his father, former Guinea-Bissau international Almami Moreira, was then playing professional football at Standard de Liege. From his mother's side, Moreira is the grandson of Helmut Graf, a German-born footballer who also played for the Belgian club from 1976 to 1982.

Club career

Early career

Coming through the youth ranks at Standard—where his father played until 2006— Moreira first tried to leave the club in 2019 for personal reasons, training with Lierse Kempenzonen, but with the Belgian federation eventually not approving his move. He ended up leaving Les ''Rouches'' for Benfica in August 2020, signing his first professional contract with the club from Lisbon, where his father lived.

Benfica

Moreira started to play with Benfica's under-23 in the Liga Revelação midway through the 2020–21 season. During the following season, he became a regular starter with the U23 team—scoring his first goal with the team during a 3–0 Lisbon derby win against Sporting. He made his professional debut for Benfica B on the 10 January 2022, replacing Tiago Gouveia for the last 15 minutes of a 1–2 home Segunda Liga loss to rivals Porto B.
He played a major role in the UEFA Youth League, where Benfica U19 topped their group against Dynamo Kyiv, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Moreira most notably scoring a goal against the latter during a 4–0 home win in October 2021. In the final phases, he scored a brace and provided two assists in a 4–0 derby win against Sporting in the quarter-finals; and provided another two assists in the final in a 6–0 win over Red Bull Salzburg to help Benfica win their first Youth League title, and their first title in European football since the 1961–62 European Cup.
Under interim manager Nélson Veríssimo, Moreira was promoted to Benfica's first team alongside seven other Benfica youth team players, making his debut on 13 May 2022, in a 2–0 away win to Paços de Ferreira in the Primeira Liga. However, after refusing to sign a new contract during the pre-season, he was demoted to the B team, and sporadically appeared for the latter, with the team's manager Luís Castro deeming his situation "difficult", before returning to the under-23s for the rest of the season.

Chelsea

On 1 July 2023, Moreira joined Premier League club Chelsea, following the expiration of his contract with Benfica. On 30 August 2023, he made his debut for the club starting in their EFL Cup second round tie against AFC Wimbledon, featuring for 45 minutes in the eventual 2–1 victory.

Lyon (loan)

On 1 September 2023, Moreira joined Ligue 1 club Lyon on a season-long loan. He made his debut for the club on 17 September, coming off the bench to replace Ernest Nuamah on the 77th minute of a 0–0 league draw at home to Le Havre. Six days later, he made his first start for Les Gones, playing 52 minutes in a 1–0 league loss away at Brest.
On 22 January 2024, Moreira was recalled from his loan by Chelsea.

Strasbourg

On 16 August 2024, Moreira joined Ligue 1 club Strasbourg on a permanent transfer.

International career

A dual citizen of Belgium and Portugal —while also eligible to play for both Guinea-Bissau and Germany— Moreira first played with the Belgium under-15 as he was a starter during their 3–1 win against England at St George's Park in February 2019.
But even before leaving to play his club football in Portugal, the youngster chose to switch for the Portuguese national team in 2019, becoming a regular with the under-16 and—after a COVID-interrupted 2020–21 season—with the under-18.
On 19 May 2025, Moreira's request to switch international allegiance to Belgium was approved by FIFA. He was subsequently named in the senior Belgium squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against North Macedonia and Wales on 6 and 9 June 2025, respectively.

Style of play

A left-footed winger able to play on both sides of the attack, Moreira is described as a fast, explosive and technically gifted footballer, most notably excelling in dribbling past his opponent. He is compared to the likes of Portuguese international Nani. During his time at Strasbourg, Moreira has since transitioned playing into more of a defensive role at left-back under Liam Rosenior.