Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has revealed he vowed to “take care” of his “very poor” family in Colombia after the death of his younger sister.
The 22-year-old is the Premiership’s top scorer with 17 goals, netting 29 in all competitions this term.And Morelos has won his first three Colombia caps after impressing for Steven Gerrard’s side.
“My family is very proud of me. My mother, my father, they cry watching me play,” he told Rangers TV.
“Since my little sister died, I told my mother, ‘I’m going to take care of you and my family,’ and now, thanks to God, we’re doing really well.
“My family supports me unconditionally, they always give me that motivation, that love to do things better every day. The love of my parents, my sisters, it makes me proud to be doing what I’ve been doing so far.”
Morelos has been sent off four times on Rangers duty albeit one red card was later rescinded and been banned for a total of six games this season, but insists he will not alter his all-action style.
“I am a very ‘hot’ player on the field, I’m very passionate and I like it. I also like coming in strong, powerfully and hitting the ball hard. I would never change the way I am,” he added.
“I like playing in the air, I like clashing, I like frustrating the defence. No-one can faze me, I’m the kind of player that is always dedicated to my team, and I fight for my team.”
The forward, who grew up in the Colombian town of Cerete, made his international debut in August and won his second and third caps in friendly fixtures earlier this month.
“Playing for Colombia was very emotional. They closed the whole street in the neighbourhood. There was a massive screen. The neighbours, the kids, all my family were there. It was something incredible,” Morelos said.
“Cerete is a very small town and honestly everyone knows each other very well. They always have a good opinion of me. I’m very happy to be making Cerete known, I’m very proud of my town and of Colombia.”
Morelos started his career at Independiente Medellin, before joining Finnish side HJK in 2016 where he scored 27 goals in 29 league games.
He was signed on a three-year deal by Gerrard’s predecessor, Pedro Caixinha, in June 2017, and has agreed two new contracts this term, the latter of which runs to 2023.