Perth Glory is delighted to confirm that Socceroos midfielder Brandon O’Neill has signed a three-year contract with the club.
The 27-year-old Perth local spent the first three years of his career with Glory before completing a move to Sydney FC where he subsequently made over 100 A-League appearances and helped the Sky Blues secure an array of silverware in the form of two Championships, two Premierships and one FFA Cup.
Having previously represented Australia at Under-23 level, O’Neill debuted for the Socceroos in 2019 and a year later joined Korean top-flight club Pohang Steelers.
He duly continued his spell overseas by signing for Thai League 1 outfit Buriram United late last year, but is now thrilled to be returning to Australia to once again represent the club he watched from the stands as a boy.
“I’d like to thank [Head Coach] Richard Garcia and [CEO] Tony Pignata and the club as a whole for welcoming me back so professionally and so well,” he said.
“I’ve been training with the youth team for the last couple of weeks, so I’d also like to thank PGFC Academy Coaches Ruben Zadkovich and Chris Coyne for allowing me into the inner sanctum of the club and enabling me to experience what I needed to experience to come to a decision.
“The last two years in my own journey and my wife’s journey to become better people have led us back home and this decision was always going to be based not only on football, but on everything outside football as well.
“To be the best athlete I can be, I need to be the best person I can be and to be that best person, at 27 years of age, it felt like the right decision to come home after eight years away.
“Now I’m feeling pure excitement about the journey that we’re about to embark upon.
“Being home and understanding Perth football and the way everyone sees football in this wonderful State, I’m excited to help bring back a level of relatability not only to the club, but to everyone from the Members and fans to the coaching and admin staff.
“I’m so excited to hopefully in one, two, or three years, experience success at this club following a process-driven rather than an outcome-driven template.”
Garcia, meanwhile, believes that O’Neill is a key signing who will have a vital role to play in driving the club forward over the next three years.
“Brandon is a Perth boy who is a fantastic professional,” he said.
“He’s represented the Socceroos, understands the intricacies of the A-League, knows what it takes to be a winner and will be an integral part of our building process.
“In addition, he has fantastic leadership skills on and off the park.
“We are trying to build a playing group made of up of good people who want to work hard for the club and Brandon is exactly that type of person.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Pignata.
“Bringing a player of Brandon’s quality back represents a huge coup for the club,” he said.
“I know our Members and fans will be thrilled not only because he’s such a proven performer on the field, but also because he’s a proud Western Australian who truly understands Glory and what it represents.
“We are committed to building a squad capable of bringing sustained success to the club and Brandon’s hugely-impressive track record in the A-League shows that he is a player who knows exactly what is required to do just that.”
