Adelaide’s Brazilian defender Cassio has rejected a host of offers from other clubs to remain at the Reds for another two seasons.
Cassio’s contract was due to expire at the end of the current season and he had no shortage of offers from rivals clubs, but the 2007/08 club champion said his decision to stay at Adelaide was an easy one.
“I was nearly going crazy in the last two or three weeks because there were agents calling me from everywhere and in the end I have to perform well, play good and concentrate on my game, and now that it is all sorted out, it makes me feel happy and this is what I want,” Cassio said.
“I feel very good and very happy with this deal. My decision wasn’t so hard because since I arrived here I have felt at home.”
“The supporters, the club, my team-mates, the new owners and the Adelaide people made my decision easy with how they have treated me, so that’s why I chose to stay here.”
Cassio has only missed one game this season due to suspension, and while he may be heading into the second decade of his professional career, in an ominous warning to opposition teams, he believes his best football is still to come.
“I’m 30 years old at the moment and to be honest I feel much better physically than when I was 20. Don’t ask me why, but I feel more confident, and after you get experience, you know where to run and you get smarter,” Cassio said.
“Football is my life and I know I have to keep performing well, playing good and giving Adelaide my best. This season has been great for me and I hope the next two can be even better.”
Coach Rini Coolen was delighted to secure the services of the man he believes is the best full back in the competition.
“We had chats with him (Cassio) a few weeks ago and told him we prefer to keep him, but at that moment we couldn’t give him a contract directly, so we had to wait for a couple of weeks, but that was fine because he was not in a rush,” Coolen said.
“He is probably the best left full back in the league so we are happy that we are able to keep him here.”
“In this period with contracts not everybody knows exactly what is going to happen in the future. We have already spoken with all of the players and now we are starting to go for the second and third discussions with contracts.”
