Javier Morales, the crux of Real Salt Lake’s reformation in 2007, is hanging up his boots after 19 years of professional soccer.
The Argentine midfielder, who played with Real Salt Lake for a decade, announced his retirement on Instagram.
Morales, 38, started his professional career at Argentine club Lanus, and he ended it at FC Dallas. His time at Real Salt Lake, though, will define his career, both as a player who shaped his team week-in and week-out, and as a signal to a new era in Major League Soccer.
Morales was, to a large extent, the herald to a movement of Argentine playmakers coming to the league.