Maxi Moralez has spoken of his love for both New York City Football Club and New York City as he prepares for his first game back at the Club.
The talented playmaker made a return to the Five Boroughs after a brief spell in his homeland with Racing. Moralez has trained with his teammates and is in contention to make his second debut with the Club on Sunday against Minnesota United.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Moralez said it was an easy decision to return, expressing his love for both the Club and the city that he represents.
"This was the easiest decision we've made as a family," Moralez said on his return.
"It was a simple and quick decision to return. We love the city. We love this club. We've been here for the last six years. My daughter was born here. So we'll see where soccer goes.
"We'll see how long I continue playing but I'm really happy and really excited to be back and we'll see what the future holds."
He went on to add: “When I left, I thought that was the last stage of my career. I thought I was going to play the rest of my playing days in Argentina but things weren't like that when we got there.
"I thought I was coming down to play and be a key player and help develop a team, but the coach made his decisions. I just didn't get the playing time that I was looking for and on top of that going back to the country it wasn't the same as we thought.
"It was a quick turnaround had very short and quick conversations with Dave. I had a conversation with Nick and they both welcomed me back to to this project. I know the role that I have to play here which is to help out the team in any way possible.
"I'm really happy to be able to come back."
Moralez also confirmed the significance behind his decision to choose number 27. The Argentinian had previously worn the number 10 with NYCFC, a shirt he handed to teammate Santiago Rodríguez upon his departure last year.
Offered a handful of options when choosing his number, Moralez confirmed the sentimental reason behind choosing the number 27.
"27 was the number that I played with in my professional debut," Moralez said.
"So it's a number that means a lot, it's the number that I just played with in Racing. Coming back to the club, obviously, Santi is the new number ten. I'm really happy to be wearing the number 27 because it means a lot to me.
"In terms of the fans, it's the same fans as before. They supported me when I first left the club earlier this year and the support has been just as big returning to the club. I'm really happy to be back in New York and have the opportunity to play in front of them again.
Sign-up for MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app - and never miss a moment of the 2023 season. Stream every regular-season, playoff, and Leagues Cup match. Every Screen. No Blackouts.
