Wesley (footballer, born November 1996)

Wesley Moraes Ferreira da Silva (born 24 November 1996), known as Wesley or Wesley Moraes, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for EFL Championship club Stoke City.

For other Brazilian association football players of the same name, see Wesley.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Moraes and the second or paternal family name is Ferreira da Silva.
Wesley
Wesley with Club Brugge in 2019
Personal information
Full name Wesley Moraes Ferreira da Silva[1]
Date of birth (1996-11-24) 24 November 1996[2]
Place of birth Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Stoke City
Number 18
Youth career
2010 Uberabinha
2011 Sport Juiz de Fora
2012 Uberabinha
2013 Sport Juiz de Fora
2013 Atlético Mineiro
2013 Tupi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014 Itabuna 0 (0)
2015–2016 Trenčín 18 (6)
2016–2019 Club Brugge 107 (32)
2019–2023 Aston Villa 25 (5)
2021–2022 → Club Brugge (loan) 3 (0)
2022 → Internacional (loan) 8 (0)
2022–2023 → Levante (loan) 37 (3)
2023– Stoke City 11 (0)
International career
2019 Brazil 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:20, 25 October 2023 (UTC)

He began his career at Brazilian side Itabuna before moving to Trenčín in the Slovak Super Liga and subsequently Club Brugge where he won two league titles and was named Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year in 2018. He made his international debut for Brazil in November 2019.

Club career

Youth career and Itabuna

As a youngster Moraes played futsal around his hometown of Juiz de Fora.[3] Moving to football, he represented both Associação Esportiva Uberabinha and Sport Club Juiz de Fora for different periods. In 2013, he also spent three months at Atlético Mineiro, but was released; in that year, he also played for Tupi.[4]

Having joined local side Itabuna at eighteen, Wesley played semi-professionally in the state level Campeonato Baiano in 2014,[5] but stayed at the club for just three months.[4] He later went on trial with European clubs including a lengthy six-month trial at Atlético Madrid's academy side where he played in tournaments in Bilbao and Croatia, and later a three-month trial at AS Nancy; neither club offered him a professional contract.[6][7] Wesley also trialled with then Ligue 2 side Evian.[6]

Trenčín

Wesley joined AS Trenčín of the Slovak Super Liga in July 2015, who had become aware of him after his trials in Europe.[7] On 14 July 2015, he played for Trenčín against FCSB in the second round of qualification of the 2015–2016 Champions League. He scored twice for Trenčín in the return match against FCSB, helping his side to a 3–2 win but the club did not proceed to the next round.[8]

Club Brugge

Wesley moved to Club Brugge on 29 January 2016. He scored his first goal in his debut match against KVC Westerlo. Brugges worked to tone down his aggression during games which led to a number of yellow cards and a sending off in his first season, he wore tape on his hands in a match against Royal Antwerp as a reminder to not react.[9]

Aston Villa

On 13 June 2019, Wesley signed for Aston Villa in the Premier League, for a fee of £22,000,000.[10] Following a week-long training camp with the rest of the squad, Wesley made his debut for Villa in a friendly match against Minnesota United on 17 July 2019.[11] Wesley scored his first Villa goal in his third appearance, opening the scoring in the 2–0 win over Everton on 23 August, with a first time strike beating Jordan Pickford.

On 1 January 2020, Wesley suffered a severe cruciate knee ligament injury after a tackle from Burnley's Ben Mee. Wesley had scored earlier in the game, a 2–1 win. His injury was initially predicted to take around nine months to recover from.[12] However, the injury was more severe than first thought, and Wesley's time on the sidelines was much longer. He made his return to football on 26 March 2021, over a year later, playing for 45 minutes in a training ground friendly against West Bromwich Albion.[13]

Wesley made his return to competitive football on 25 April 2021, 480 days since his last game, as a late substitute in a 2–2 Premier League draw against West Bromwich Albion.[14]

Loans

On 28 August 2021, Wesley rejoined Club Brugge on a season-long loan.[15] He made his second debut for Brugge on 18 September 2021, in a 1–0 victory over Charleroi.[16]

On 7 January 2022, Wesley was recalled from his Club Brugge loan, and joined Brazilian club Internacional on a 12-month loan.[17] On 29 January 2022, Wesley made his debut for Internacional - scoring a penalty in a 2–0 victory over Frederiquense in the Campeonato Gaúcho.[18]

On 22 July 2022, Wesley was recalled from his Brazilian loan and moved on loan to Segunda División club Levante.[19] He made his debut on 12 August 2022, in a 0–0 draw with Huesca.[20] Wesley scored his first goal for the club on 3 January 2023, an injury time winner in a 3–2 Copa del Rey victory over Getafe.[21]

Stoke City

On 28 July 2023, Wesley signed a one-year contract with Stoke City.[22]

International career

Wesley made his international debut for Brazil on 15 November 2019, coming off the bench in a 1–0 loss to Argentina.[23]

Style of play

Wesley was born with one leg almost three centimetres shorter than the other, which has led to comparisons in his movement to legendary compatriot Garrincha.[3] He was also compared with former Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke by Joseph Chapman from the Birmingham Mail, for his strong aerial threat while being confident with the ball at his feet.[24]

Personal life

Wesley grew up in the city of Juiz de Fora, around 200 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro.[9] His father was a footballer who played as a midfielder but only made a small amount of money from playing; Wesley credited his father as having taught him the game of football. His father became partially disabled later in his life and died following a brain tumour when Wesley was nine years of age.[9]

Wesley has three children from different relationships. His fathered his first two children, Yan and Maria Eduarda, as a teenager.[3][9] He had his first child at the age of 14 and his second at the age of 16.[25] As a sixteen-year-old he worked in a factory sorting screws to support his family between football trials before his move to AS Trencin.[9] He had another child with his new partner, Izadora Magluf, in December 2021.[26][27]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 25 October 2023[28][29]
Club Season League State League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Itabuna 2014 Baiano 2ª Divisão —10————10
Trenčín 2015–16 Slovak Super Liga 186—20—2[lower-alpha 1]2—228
Club Brugge 2015–16 Belgian First Division A 62—00———62
2016–17 Belgian First Division A 256—10—5[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0326
2017–18 Belgian First Division A 3811—52—1[lower-alpha 3]0—4413
2018–19 Belgian First Division A 3813—10—8[lower-alpha 4]31[lower-alpha 2]14817
Total 10732—72—1432113038
Aston Villa 2019–20 Premier League 215—0011——226
2020–21 Premier League 30—0000——30
2021–22 Premier League 10—0000——10
2022–23 Premier League 00—0000——00
Total 255—0011——266
Club Brugge (loan) 2021–22 Belgian First Division A 30—10—000040
Internacional (loan) 2022 Brasileiro Série A 809110—3[lower-alpha 5]100212
Levante (loan) 2022–23 Segunda División 373—41——2[lower-alpha 6]0434
Stoke City 2023–24 Championship 110—0020——130
Career total 20946101153311964126058
  1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
  3. Appearance in UEFA Europa League
  4. Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, two appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  5. Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  6. Appearances in 2023 Segunda División play-offs

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[30]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Brazil
201910
Total10

Honours

AS Trenčín

Club Brugge

Individual

References
  1. "2019/20 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  2. "Wesley: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  3. "Wesley Moraes: Aston Villa's record signing with a remarkable backstory". The Guardian. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  4. "Dispensado pelo Atlético, destaque na Bélgica e cobiçado pelo Bayern: conheça a história do atacante Wesley Moraes" [Released by Atlético, spotlight in Belgium and wanted by Bayern: know the story of forward Wesley Moraes] (in Brazilian Portuguese). SuperEsportes. 10 November 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  5. "Quando Wesley Moraes era Jacaré: histórias do atacante da Seleção no futebol amador" [When Wesley Moraes was Jacaré: the stories of the forward of the Seleção in the amateur football] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  6. "Brazilian sensation in Belgium is compared to Lukaku and wants to shine in the Champions League". ESPN (Portuguese). 8 August 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  7. "Millionaire player sale may 'resurrect' Itabuna (Portuguese)". Atiuidade Esporte News. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  8. "FCSB vs. Trenčín - 22 July 2015 - Soccerway".
  9. Jacob, Gary. "How Wesley Moraes arrived at Aston Villa via Brazil, Slovakia and Belgium". The Times. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  10. "Aston Villa sign Wesley Moraes from Club Brugge for £22m". Sky Sports. 13 June 2019.
  11. "'Looks the part' This is how Wesley Moraes played on his Aston Villa debut in Minnesota". Birmingham Mail. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  12. Husband, Ben (2 January 2020). "Details emerge on the severity of Aston Villa striker Wesley's injury". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  13. Cusack, Richard (26 March 2021). "Aston Villa fans go wild as 'amazing' footage emerges". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  14. "Aston Villa 2-2 West Brom". Aston Villa F.C. Official Site. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  15. "Wesley leaves Aston Villa for loan spell at Club Brugge". The Independent. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  16. Townley, John (21 September 2021). "'Kudos to him' - Aston Villa's Wesley praised by former Liverpool star". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  17. "Wesley joins Internacional on loan". Aston Villa Football Club. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  18. LiveScore, SofaScore com. "Internacional vs União Frederiquense live score, H2H and lineups | SofaScore". www.sofascore.com. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  19. "Aston Villa: Wesley joins Levante on loan". BBC Sport. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  20. "Levante vs. Huesca - Football Match Summary - August 12, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  21. "Levante eliminated Getafe with a goal from Wesley in the 92'". Today Times Live. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  22. "Wesley Moraes moves to the bet365 Stadium". Stoke City FC. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  23. "Brazil vs. Argentina – 15 November 2019". Soccerway. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  24. "Who is Wesley Moraes?". Birmingham Mail. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  25. "Aston Villa's Wesley: How being a dad at 14 motivated me". Sky Sports.
  26. Foster, Neil (16 December 2021). "Brazil beckons for Villa outcast as twin reasons emerge for loan deal". TEAMtalk. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  27. "Wesley Moraes supera lesão e 2020 "terrível" para voltar a jogar após 1 ano". www.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  28. "Wesley " Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  29. "Wesley Moraes". Soccerway.
  30. Wesley at National-Football-Teams.com
  31. "Aston Villa sign Wesley from Club Brugge for club record fee". BBC Sport. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  32. "Aston Villa agree transfer of Wesley". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
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