Vancouver Whitecaps FC completed the signing of Pedro Morales on Wednesday. Morales is the club's newest Designated Player and comes to Vancouver from Spain's La Liga side Málaga CF, pending international transfer certificate. Per Major League Soccer and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Pedro is an exciting attacking player and we are thrilled to have him join our club," said Whitecaps FC manager Carl Robinson. "He is a natural number 10 who will bring a creative flare to our attack and is someone the supporters will enjoy watching."
Morales, 28, comes to Vancouver having played the last two seasons with Málaga. The 5'11", 170 lbs. Chilean midfielder started 13 of his 22 league appearances and scored four goals with the club from southern Spain.
Pedro Morales at Thunderbird Stadium on 5 March 2014 in his first ever Vancouver Whitecaps FC Training Session.
Prior to making the move to La Liga, Morales played with Croatian top division club GNK Dinao Zagreb, capturing the league championship in each of his three seasons with the team. In 60 league appearances with Zagreb, Morales scored 24 goals. The South American also made nine appearances with the team in the UEFA Champions League, including a run to the Group Stage in the 2011-2012 season. While with Zagreb, Morales also started 15 of his 18 appearances in the UEFA Europa League, scoring two goals.
In the Primera Division of his native country, Morales played five seasons, scoring 31 goals in 133 league appearances. At CD Huachipato, where he began his career in 2005, Morales made 81 appearances and scored 15 goals. During his time with Universidad de Chile, the attacking playmaker made a total of 52 appearances while scoring 16 goals.
Internationally, the native of Hualpén, Chile, has represented his country 11 times, scoring three goals. Morales also played for his country at the U23 level, notably scoring two goals at the 2008 Toulon tournament to help Chile finish as runners-up. In 2005, Morales played for his country at the U20 level in the FIFA World Youth Championship, appearing in all four matches.
Pedro Morales shows of his skills at Thunderbird Stadium on 5 March 2014.
Whitecaps FC attacking midfielder Pedro Morales Career Highlights
- Scored three goals in 11 appearances with the Chilean national team.
- Played the last two seasons with Málaga, recording four goals in 22 league appearances.
- Scored 26 goals in 87 league, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League appearances with Croatia's top division club GNK Dinamo Zagreb
- Played five seasons in Chile’s Primera Division, scoring 31 goals in 133 league appearances with CD Huachipato and Club Universidad de Chile.