Last week, Santiago Morales asked his father Javier a starry-eyed question that is not atypical of an elementary school-aged child.
“If you could change something in your life, what would you change?” the eight-year-old Santiago chimed.
Most who know his story would have an easy answer to that question, but Javier Morales struggled to come up with something. Santiago asked him about an injury that could easily have ended his career in 2011 and his father shook his head.
“I think I learned from that. I learned a lot. If that didn’t happen to me, maybe I’m not here right now,” Morales said on Thursday, four-and-a-half years removed from the incident in question. “I think that is the reason that I became a better player.”
Javier Morales will always remember May 7, 2011 as a turning point in his career. Many remember it as a low point when a career-threatening injury derailed his fifth season in MLS with Real Salt Lake.
Leading into that match, just the sixth of the young season for RSL, Morales had two goals and two assists to bring his career totals to 17 goals and 33 assists in 92 MLS matches. RSL was off to a 4-1-0 start and had already dealt with the heartbreak of falling in the CONCACAF Champions League final. This would be a much more crushing blow though.
On that day at Rio Tinto Stadium, Morales was tackled from behind by Marco Mondaini in a 1-0 win over Chivas USA, fracturing the RSL midfielder’s left tibia and fibula, dislocating his ankle and tearing ligaments in the process.
However, from that low point Morales has emerged stronger and a better player. Knowing that one misstep or ill-timed tackle could end his career before he is ready to hang up his boots, the 35-year-old Argentine returned with a renewed focus and has since put in his best years as a professional and now has a newly-signed contract that will keep him in Claret-and-Cobalt for a 10th season in 2016.
“I came back better than before,” Morales smiled after inking his new deal this week.
Since that harrowing match, Morales has 28 goals and 44 assists in 118 matches and helped lead RSL back to the MLS Cup final in 2013 as well as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final in that same year. The maestro has shown that he is back producing the music that makes RSL fans dance in the aisles and few have been able to match his yearly production. But that isn’t enough for Morales.
“I’m not looking for 20 goals or 20 assists. I’m looking for another trophy. I’m going to work as hard as I can to get it again,” he said.
To say he has put in the work to attain that goal is a vast understatement. In addition to keeping himself fit and healthy through his diligent work off the field, he also serves as a mentor to young players and an ambassador for the club in its efforts to improve the team through signing players from outside of MLS.
“It’s a credit to Javi and the way he’s taken care of his body. These past two years have been arguably his most productive years, but I know Javi really wants to win championships,” RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar said. “We planted the seeds this past year in a lot of areas and this is the year to cultivate those seeds that we’ve planted and he’s very excited for what this team can do next year.”
Morales has many motivations for his return to the field with RSL for a 10th season. Chief among those, however is winning championships. With a shot at CONCACAF Champions League redemption coming for the club right out of the gates with a quarterfinal meeting with Tigres in Mexico in late February, Morales is eying a fast start for RSL and nothing would erase the memory of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2007 like a run in the Champions League.
“This year wasn’t good for us, so I think everyone is excited now. There’s more motivation to show the people – the fans – that we’re going to be the same team again, going to the CONCACAF finals and other finals. Everyone is excited to show that again,” Morales said. “Players play for different reasons. Some play for money. Others play for family or just for fun. The best thing for soccer is to win. We were so close that time. I want to feel it again but with a different final result.”
