Gerard Moreno
Gerard Moreno Balagueró is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Villarreal.
In his career, he played for Villarreal, Mallorca and Espanyol, winning the 2021 Europa League and two Zarra Trophies with the first club. In La Liga, he played more than 300 games and scored more than 120 goals.
Moreno made his full debut for Spain in 2019, being part of the squad at UEFA Euro 2020.
Club career
Villarreal
Born in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Barcelona, Catalonia, Moreno joined Villarreal in 2010 from local club Badalona. On 5 March 2011, while still a junior, he made his debut with the reserves, appearing as a late substitute in a 1–2 home loss against Rayo Vallecano. During his early spell he also represented the third team, scoring at an astonishing rate in the Tercera División.Moreno scored his first goal as a professional on 10 December 2011, contributing to a 3–1 Segunda División home victory over Xerez. He played his first official game with Villarreal's main squad roughly one year later, starting in a 1–0 loss at Elche. He scored his first goal for the Yellow Submarine on 25 January 2013, opening a 3–0 defeat of Sabadell.
On 8 July 2013, Moreno signed with Mallorca of the second tier in a season-long loan. He subsequently returned to Villarreal, being definitely promoted to the first team now in La Liga.
Moreno made his debut in the Spanish top flight on 14 September 2014, starting in a 0–0 away draw against Granada. He scored his first goal in the competition ten days later, in a 1–1 draw at Eibar.
Espanyol
On 13 August 2015, Moreno signed a five-year deal with fellow top-division side Espanyol, who bought 50% of his rights for a €1.5 million fee. The following 23 January, he scored in a 2–2 home draw against his former team before being sent off.Moreno netted 16 times in the 2017–18 season, in an 11th-place finish.
Villarreal return
Moreno returned to Villarreal on 12 June 2018, agreeing to a five-year contract. Having retained 50% of the player's rights previously, his former club paid Espanyol €20 million in the transfer to buy back the remaining 50% and acquire the player outright.Moreno finished 2019–20 with 18 league goals, thus winning the Zarra Trophy. He renewed the accolade the following season with 23 and a team-best seven assists, scoring a further seven times in their victorious run in the UEFA Europa League; he was later voted the Europa League's Player of the Season, beating Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani.
On 10 August 2021, Moreno signed a new six-year deal. The following day, he scored in the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, surpassing Giuseppe Rossi to become the club's second all-time top scorer at 83 goals; only Adriano García remained ahead of him with 109.
Moreno featured much less in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 campaigns, due to injury problems. He scored his 100th competitive goal for Villarreal on in his 222nd appearance on 12 November 2022, netting twice in a 9–0 away rout of amateurs Santa Amalia in the first round of the Copa del Rey.
International career
Moreno was never capped for Spain at any youth level. He made his senior debut on 15 October 2019, playing the entire 1–1 draw in Sweden for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. One month later, for the same competition and also as a starter, he scored his first goal in a 7–0 rout of Malta in Cádiz for the already qualified hosts. On 18 November, he added a brace in the 5–0 victory over Romania, being included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for the finals on 24 May 2021.Career statistics
Club
International
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 15 November 2019 | Estadio Ramón de Carranza, Cádiz, Spain | 6–0 | 7–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| 2 | 18 November 2019 | Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain | 2–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| 3 | 18 November 2019 | Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain | 3–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| 4 | 14 November 2020 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A | |
| 5 | 31 March 2021 | Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Espanyol- Supercopa de Catalunya: 2016
- UEFA Europa League: 2020–21
- Zarra Trophy: 2019–20, 2020–21
- UEFA Europa League top scorer: 2020–21
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2020–21
- UEFA Europa League Player of the Season: 2020–21
- UEFA Europa League top assists provider: 2020–21
- UEFA Super Cup Man of the Match: 2021