By OTB in Player — 10 May 2026

Chrigor - No Comfortable Zone

🇧🇷 For many Brazilian boys, football comes before ambition.
It is culture before career. Routine before dream.

Some remain in Brazil. Some chase Europe. Others travel further than they once imagined. Southeast Asia has become one of those destinations in recent years - a region where Brazilian forwards continue to leave their mark.

One of them is Chrigor Flores Moraes.

“In Brazil, when you are born and you are a boy, the first thing is football.”

His story starts from there - from Cachoeira do Sul, a city in Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, to Thailand and now Malaysia.

It has not been a straight line. It has been shaped by movement, adaptation, and decisions made at the right moment.

“When you are a football player, you cannot stay too much time in the comfortable zone.”

That idea runs through every chapter of his career.

Growing Up in Brazil - Football Before Ambition

Football was not introduced to him as a career plan. It was already there — part of daily life.

His father played amateur football as a centre-back and loved the game deeply. Training sessions were part of family routine, not a calculated pathway.

When asked about role models, he avoids global superstardom.

“I watch football, but I never chose just one player. Before in Brazil, it was difficult to watch games from England or Spain. You just could watch the Brazilian League.”

Exposure shaped imagination. His references were domestic.

Among the players he followed was Nilmar, a Brazilian international forward who played for Villarreal CF, Olympique Lyonnais, and Sport Club Internacional.

“His style was very good. He was fast. He was a number nine, but he could do many things - go to the side, go to the midfield.”

Versatility left the strongest impression. Movement mattered more than fame.

Early Professional Years - Survival, Sacrifice and Belief

Turning professional did not immediately mean stability.

“I think 16 or 17 players lived there in the stadium. In Brazil, it’s very normal. You live behind the stadium.”

Behind the badge, reality was different.

“They didn’t give salary. Nothing. No food, nothing. We made a family there. The older players helped us and we helped them because it was very difficult.”

This was football stripped down to essentials - shared rooms, shared struggle, shared ambition.

Support from home remained constant.

“My father and my mother always supported me. Before, it was his dream. He loved football.”

At Red Bull Bragantino, belief solidified.

“There I realized that this could be my profession.”

But Brazil is unforgiving, especially for forwards.

“It’s difficult in Brazil, but it was very good for me because I learned more. When you are a football player, you cannot stay too much time in the comfortable zone.”

He had the option to remain.

“I could stay there, get my salary and finish. But I didn’t want that. I wanted to play. I wanted to score goals. I wanted to help teams. Then we need to go.”

That mindset would carry him abroad.

Leaving Brazil - The First Step Abroad

While playing for Associação Portuguesa de Desportos, he was watched in two matches by Diogo Luís Santo, one of the most successful foreign players in Thai League history.

“In those two games against Corinthians and São Paulo, I played very well. Then he came with this opportunity.”

Thailand was not part of a long plan.

“I think one month before.”

“I had only heard about Thailand one month before leaving Brazil. He (Diogo) explained to me about the league and how football is there.”

The preparation window was short.

“Your heart needs to be open. Your head needs to be open because the beginning is very difficult.”

It was his first step outside Brazil - made quickly, but deliberately.

Buriram - Adjustment Inside a Champion Club

At Buriram United, Thailand’s most successful club of the modern era, expectations were immediate. Titles are not ambitions there - they are standards.

Off the pitch, the environment felt familiar.

“For me, it was similar to my city in Brazil (Cachoeira do Sul). It is small, and you stay at home. There are not many things to do.”

“But for me, no problem because I like to stay home and rest.”

On the pitch, however, adaptation required more than tactical understanding. The competition inside the squad was strong - with many foreign players competing for limited attacking roles.

In a team built to win every season, minutes are never guaranteed.

The challenge was not only about football. It was also about communication. Language differences affected rhythm, timing, and small details inside matches.

Asked about the best player in the Thai League, he names Supachai Jaided.

“He can do everything. If you put him on the side, he can play. Number nine, midfielder. He has quality. His heading is perfect. If you put the ball in the box and he is there, it is easy.”

Seeking more consistent rhythm and a clearer role, he later moved on loan to PT Prachuap FC.

PT Prachuap - Communication, Confidence and Goals

Before arriving, he had already heard about the coach (Sasom Pobprasert).

“Before I moved to PT Prachuab, the Thai players say to me he's very good coach, but he get angry fast.” (smile)

At Prachuap, communication became central.

“He (Sasom) talked with me every day. He tried to put me in the right position. If in some games I did something wrong, he came and talked to me.”

Language had previously been a barrier.

“Now my English is not good, but before it was nothing.”

But Prachuap provided structure around him.

“We have Brazilians there, and we also have the translator. Then he helped so much. We talk to him in Portuguese and he say to the coach.”

Instructions became clearer. Understanding improved. Hesitation reduced.

Clarity built confidence.

“Ah, then some games I start very good there because there I feel they trust me, you know — the club, the coach, the players.”

“When they had a chance to pass the ball to me, they gave it to me. And I scored.”

Trust translated directly into goals.

Selangor – A Historic Club, A New Chapter

Selangor FC is Malaysia’s most successful football club in history. With more Malaysia Cups than any other team and over 80 years of history, it remains one of the country’s biggest institutions - now building toward a new competitive era.

Joining Selangor meant stepping into tradition - and responsibility.

“Now I have this decision, and my dream here first is to take some title. It’s very important - not for me, but for the club, for my teammates.”

Chrigor with his teammates at Selangor FC.

“We help each other a lot, we work a lot for this because we need to feel this again (win a title). It’s very important for the club, the big, big club here.”

This season, his impact has been visible. He has been scoring consistently in the league and is firmly in the race for the top scorer title. Selangor continues to progress domestically and perform strongly on the Asian stage.

When asked about Selangor supporters, he answers with gratitude.

“For Selangor, for us, I want to say congratulations because every game they come. If we play here at home or we play 10 hours from here (away games), they go there and support us.”

“I like in the stadium when the fans sing some music because this in Brazil is very, very normal.”

“They support a lot of us and I’m very happy for this. We need this because if you just play only with the team it is difficult. We need some support outside — with the fans, with the staff, with our family. Then this is very good.”

Across continents, one thing remains constant: football is shared.