Fernando de Moraes

Fernando Jorge Lima de Moraes
Fernando Jorge Lima de Moraes
Born	January 21, 1980 (age 46); Brazil
Occupation(s)	Former professional footballer, futsal player
Years active	2000s–2014
Known for	Playing for South Melbourne, Australia national futsal team

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Fernando de Moraes, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Fernando Jorge Lima de Moraes (born 21 January 1980), widely recognized simply as Fernando, is a former professional footballer whose last club was South Melbourne competing in the Victorian Premier League. Although born in Brazil, he also played for the Australia national futsal team.

Career

Fernando began his athletic journey focusing on futsal in Brazil before switching to outdoor soccer at the age of 21. His early career included playing for Palestra de São Bernardo, after which he relocated to Australia—where his sister resides—to join South Melbourne. His decision followed witnessing their performance at the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. Fernando made his first appearance for South Melbourne during the 2005 season of the Victorian Premier League.

In 2006, he underwent a brief trial with Greek Super League side Egaleo FC, but soon returned to Australia. That year, he emerged as South Melbourne's leading goal scorer with 12 goals, playing a key role in their championship triumph. This achievement led to a short-term contract with A-League outfit New Zealand Knights FC valued at £90,000 (€100,000). Despite contract renewals, he mostly remained a substitute and eventually rejoined South Melbourne after the Knights' campaign concluded, committing to a two-year contract.

One of his memorable contributions came during the 2010 Singapore Cup, where he scored a pivotal goal that put South Melbourne ahead 2-1 against Thai Premier League winners Bangkok Glass. However, Bangkok Glass progressed on aggregate following a 3-3 draw.

Fernando concluded his professional playing career in January 2014.