Mogammat Nasief Morris (born 16 April 1981) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He left his country in 2001 to pursue a career in Europe, going on to play mostly in Greece but also in Spain and Cyprus. Morris won 37 caps for the South Africa national team between 2004 and 2009.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mogammat Nasief Morris | ||
| Date of birth | 16 April 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Santos Cape Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2001 | Santos Cape Town | 19 | (1) |
| 2001–2003 | Aris | 48 | (2) |
| 2003–2010 | Panathinaikos | 118 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | → Recreativo (loan) | 37 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | → Racing Santander (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Apollon Limassol | 13 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | SuperSport United | 6 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Santos Cape Town (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Santos Cape Town | 49 | (4) |
| 2014–2017 | Milano United | 83 | (13) |
| Total | 397 | (22) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2009 | South Africa | 37 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editGreece
editBorn in Cape Town, Morris started his career at local Santos F.C. before signing for Greek club Aris Thessaloniki in June 2001, for €350.000. In his second season in the Superleague he played 27 games (two goals) as the latter club finished in sixth position, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup.
After two years, Morris joined fellow league side Panathinaikos FC. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on 1 October 2003 in a 1–1 group stage home draw against Rangers.[1] During his five-year tenure he never appeared in less than 21 league matches, as his team won the double in the 2003–04 campaign; additionally, he made 14 Champions League and 18 UEFA Cup appearances.
Spain
editAt the beginning of 2008–09, Morris was loaned out to Recreativo de Huelva in Spain.[2] He made his La Liga debut on 31 August 2008, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 derby away win against Real Betis.[3]
Morris only missed one league match for Recreativo, scoring on 3 May 2009 in 2–1 away triumph over CA Osasuna in the last minute,[4] but Recre eventually suffered relegation. In the following season, still on loan, he moved to another Spanish top level team, Racing de Santander.[5]
Morris started in his first games with Racing, but eventually was only third or fourth-choice stopper – 11 appearances in the first 15 rounds, only one in the following 23. On 5 May 2010, he was sent off in a 5–1 home loss against Sevilla FC.[6]
Later years
editIn July 2010, after it was announced that Panathinaikos would not extend his contract with the club, Morris signed with Apollon Limassol from Cyprus.[7] After one season, the 30-year-old returned to his country and joined SuperSport United FC.[8]
International career
editMorris made his debut with the South Africa national team in 2004. In that same year, he was temporarily suspended by FIFA from all competitions after attempting to attack a referee during a 2–1 loss against Zambia on 21 February.[9]
Morris was selected for the Bafana Bafana squad that appeared in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, in an eventual group stage exit in Ghana.
Career statistics
edit- Score and result list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Morris goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 June 2007 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa |  Chad |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
References
edit- ^ "Rangers denied in Athens". BBC Sport. 1 October 2003. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Official, Nasief Morris will play for Recreativo Huelva". Football Press. 18 July 2008. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Real Betis 0–1 Recreativo Huelva". ESPN Soccernet. 31 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Osasuna 1–2 Recreativo Huelva". ESPN Soccernet. 3 May 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Nasief Morris es el tercer fichaje" [Nasief Morris is third signing] (in Spanish). Web del Racing. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Sevilla run riot". ESPN Soccernet. 5 May 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "No glamour move for Morris". Kick Off. 23 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ "Nasief Morris signs with Supersport United". Goal. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ "SA defender gets Fifa ban". BBC Sport. 15 March 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Zuma scores twice in record win for South Africa". Mail & Guardian. 2 June 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
External links
edit- Nasief Morris at BDFutbol
- Nasief Morris at National-Football-Teams.com
- Nasief Morris – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Nasief Morris at Soccerway
- Nasief Morris at WorldFootball.net