Diego Manuel Jadon da Silva Moreira (; born 6 August 2004), also known as Moreira Jr., is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a left midfielder or left wing-back for club AC Milan and the Belgium national team.

Early life Moreira was born in Liège, where his father, former Guinea-Bissau international Almami Moreira, was then playing professional football at Standard de Liege. His mother is Émilie Graf. From his mother's side, Moreira is the grandson of Helmut Graf, a German-born footballer who also played for the Belgian club from 1976 to 1982.

Club career

Early career Coming through the youth ranks at Standard—where his father played until 2006— Moreira first tried to leave the club in 2019 for personal reasons, training with Lierse Kempenzonen, but with the Belgian federation eventually not approving his move. He ended up leaving Les Rouches for Benfica in August 2020, signing his first professional contract with the club from Lisbon, where his father lived.

Benfica Moreira started to play with Benfica's under-23 in the Liga Revelação midway through the 2020–21 season. During the following season, he became a regular starter with the U23 team—scoring his first goal with the team during a 3–0 Lisbon derby win against Sporting. He made his professional debut for Benfica B on the 10 January 2022, replacing Tiago Gouveia for the last 15 minutes of a 1–2 home Segunda Liga loss to rivals Porto B.

He played a major role in the UEFA Youth League, where Benfica U19 topped their group against Dynamo Kyiv, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Moreira most notably scoring a goal against the latter during a 4–0 home win in October 2021. In the final phases, he scored a brace and provided two assists in a 4–0 derby win against Sporting in the quarter-finals; and provided another two assists in the final in a 6–0 win over Red Bull Salzburg to help Benfica win their first Youth League title, and their first title in European football since the 1961–62 European Cup.

Under interim manager Nélson Veríssimo, Moreira was promoted to Benfica's first team alongside seven other Benfica youth team players, making his debut on 13 May 2022, in a 2–0 away win to Paços de Ferreira in the Primeira Liga. However, after refusing to sign a new contract during the pre-season, he was demoted to the B team, and sporadically appeared for the latter, with the team's manager Luís Castro deeming his situation "difficult", before returning to the under-23s for the rest of the season.

Chelsea On 1 July 2023, Moreira joined Premier League club Chelsea, following the expiration of his contract with Benfica. On 30 August 2023, he made his debut for the club starting in their EFL Cup second round tie against AFC Wimbledon, featuring for 45 minutes in the eventual 2–1 victory.

Loan to Lyon On 1 September 2023, Moreira joined Ligue 1 club Lyon on a season-long loan. He made his debut for the club on 17 September, coming off the bench to replace Ernest Nuamah on the 77th minute of a 0–0 league draw at home to Le Havre. Six days later, he made his first start for Les Gones, playing 52 minutes in a 1–0 league loss away at Brest.

On 22 January 2024, Moreira was recalled from his loan by Chelsea.

Strasbourg On 16 August 2024, Moreira joined Ligue 1 club Strasbourg on a permanent transfer. Later that year, on 29 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory over Marseille.

AC Milan On 19 August 2026, Moreira was signed by Serie A club AC Milan for a fee of €50 million, a record sale in Strasbourg history. He signed a five-year contract until 2031.

International career A dual citizen of Belgium and Portugal —while also eligible to play for both Guinea-Bissau and Germany— Moreira first played with the Belgium under-15 as he was a starter during their 3–1 win against England at St George's Park in February 2019.

But even before leaving to play his club football in Portugal, the youngster chose to switch for the Portuguese national team in 2019, becoming a regular with the under-16 and—after a COVID-interrupted 2020–21 season—with the under-18.

On 19 May 2025, Moreira's request to switch international allegiance to Belgium was approved by FIFA. He was subsequently named in the senior Belgium squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against North Macedonia and Wales on 6 and 9 June 2025, respectively.

Style of play A left-footed winger able to play on both sides of the attack, Moreira is described as a fast, explosive and technically gifted footballer, most notably excelling in dribbling past his opponent. He is compared to the likes of Portuguese international Nani. During his time at Strasbourg, Moreira has since transitioned playing into more of a defensive role at left-back under Liam Rosenior.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBenfica B2021–22Liga Portugal 210———102022–23Liga Portugal 2243———243Total253———253Benfica2021–22Primeira Liga10000000102022–23Primeira Liga0000001010Total1000001020Chelsea2023–24Premier League000010—10Lyon (loan)2023–24Ligue 17020——90Strasbourg2024–25Ligue 132220——3422025–26Ligue 127441—110425Total59661—110767AC Milan2026–27Serie A3300—1043Career total9512811013011713

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBelgium202520202650Total70

Honours Benfica U19 Campeonato Nacional de Juniores: 2021–22 UEFA Youth League: 2021–22Conheça os 24 heróis da Youth League (Benfica) Under-20 Intercontinental Cup: 2022

References

External links