Jonel Désiré to continue his career with Haitian club Pérolas Negras

28-year-old forward Jonel Désiré has found a new team — the Haitian club Pérolas Negras has announced the signing of the striker, who previously played in Armenia.

Désiré’s most recent club was Andranik from the Armenian First League, which he left at the start of the current season. In total, he spent more than eight years in Armenian football, and his children from his former Armenian wife remain in Yerevan.

Pérolas Negras is a club with Haitian roots, but due to the civil war and instability in Haiti, the team is forced to be based in Brazil and currently competes in the Carioca A2 League (Rio de Janeiro). The same applies to other Haitian clubs, and the national team is unable to play matches at home.

Despite the difficult situation in the country, Haiti achieved historic success — after 52 years, the national team qualified for the 2026 World Cup final stage. Against this backdrop, Désiré’s return to his home club carries special symbolism.

Pérolas Negras reminded that Désiré is an academy graduate from the times when the club was still located in Haiti. The forward played for Haiti’s youth national teams and has experience with the senior national team.

According to the club, Désiré has 213 matches, 58 goals and 23 assists, along with 20 appearances and 2 goals for the Haitian national team. He arrives in Brazil after playing for Armenian clubs West Armenia, Pyunik, Alashkert, Urartu, Lori and Andranik, as well as in Georgia, Cyprus, and the USA.

Head coach João Medina highlighted the symbolic nature of the transfer:

“This announcement is full of meaning. Haiti is returning to the World Cup after half a century, and at the same time a player developed by Pérolas Negras is returning to the club to write a new chapter in its history,” he said.

Désiré will be the team’s first reinforcement for the 2026 season. The forward intends to return to the national team and dreams of playing at the upcoming World Cup.