Starts: 39
Minutes: 3,129
Age: 38
Key Stat: seven assists in league games, the most on the team
No matter how you look at Maxi Moralez’s season, you’ll arrive at the same conclusion: He’s ageless. The 38-year-old Argentine maestro arguably had his best season with New York City FC since winning MLS Cup in 2021, and he’s been at the forefront of NYCFC’s playoff success this year.
NYCFC’s 38-year-old iron horse a
On paper, Maxi didn’t match what he accomplished in the previous season. His nine goal contributions (two goals, seven assists) in 2025 weren’t close to the 13 he put up in 2017, (five goals, eight assists), the 17 in 2018 (eight goals, nine assists), the 19 in 2019 (seven goals, 12 assists), or 14 in 2021 (three goals, 11 assists). But his two goals and seven assists in 2025 were the most since NYCFC won MLS Cup in 2021. He’s older now, and slowing down, but he’s still capable of pulling the strings in the midfield.
More importantly, he looked to be revived under first-year Head Coach Pascal Jansen. He played 41 games across all competitions this year, second only to the 52 games he played for Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina at age 23. Here he is, 15 years later, showing up when his team needed him the most.
Maxi was one of two players on the team to start all 34 league games, joining Justin Haak. His 2,758 regular-season minutes were the third-most on the squad, behind only Haak and goalkeeper Matt Freese.
Hudson River Blue Staff
NYCFC’s most important player this season?
Let’s focus on his 2025 season, though. Consider Maxi’s clutch factor. He gave fans a reason to hope in the Eastern Conference finals, serving a free kick on a golden platter to Justin Haak, to bring NYCFC to within one goal of Inter Miami before the floodgates opened. He scored against Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference semifinals to send the Supporters’ Shield-winners out of the MLS Cup Playoffs. His assists in the 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati, the 4-3 win over FC Dallas, the 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City, and the 2-2 draw to open the season in Miami show how vital he is to this squad.
Here’s a quick calculation that underlines the importance of his direct production in this NYCFC team: Take away his goals and assists this season, and NYCFC finish with 49 points and a -3 goal differential, which puts them in 9th Place in the Eastern Conference.
Maxi turned up the heat in November
NYCFC might have crashed out of the playoffs against a strangely stacked Miami team, but Moralez impressed, yet again, in the Eastern Conference Final. He capped it off in the best way possible, at least for the fans in the stands: According to an unconfirmed report, he exchanged words with Miami enforcer Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi during a contentious two-minute break in the first half that saw tensions rise between both teams.
Here’s what was said, according to a translation circulating on the internet:
Maxi: “Hold up, Rodrigo. Stop asking for a yellow, stop messing around.”
De Paul: “Shut your ass, you, they kicked you out of Racing with a kick in the ass.”
Maxi: “Look, to get kicked out, you gotta have the guts to go to the club and show your face like I did.”
De Paul: “I go to Racing when I want, and if I don’t, I buy it.”
Maxi: “If you go when you want, then you’re a coward who didn’t go now to win the Copa Libertadores and at 30 years old you decided to come on vacation to Miami.”
Messi: “You have to respect me and him, you have to respect us.”
Maxi: Oh, sorry, I thought he was your bitch, not that you were his bitch.”
Messi: “Now I’ll wait for you in the locker room.”
Maxi: “What do you think, that I was born in New York? Now I’m going to the locker room door. Obviously. Who do you think you are?”
Reportedly, Moralez told Messi he wasn’t born in New York, but he was meant to be here.
Absolute legend. Build the statue!