Melbourne Victory have signed Brazilian forward Clarismario Santos Rodrigues for the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Better known as Santos and a graduate of the Fluminense academy in Brazil, the 23-year-old arrives on a one-year deal from Cypriot top-flight outfit AEK Larnaca.
Santos started his professional career in Croatia before spending three years with Bosnian powerhouse Zeljeznicar after winning a second-division title at Rudar Prijedor in 2020-21.
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He scored two goals in 29 appearances for AEK Larnaca last season.
“This is an exciting new challenge for me and I cannot wait to get started,” Santos said ahead of Victory’s Round 1 opener and Grand Final rematch away to two-time reigning champions Central Coast Mariners on October 18.
“The club has built an environment that I believe can get the best from me as a footballer and I want to deliver on the field for the team and for the fans this season.”
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Santos is the latest new face at Victory, joining Josh Rawlins, Jing Reec, Reno Piscopo, Jack Duncan, Brendan Hamill, Mitch Langerak and Nikos Vergos, while Alex Menelaou, Luka Kolić, Daniel Graskoski have graduated from the academy.
“We’re excited to welcome Santos to Melbourne Victory for the upcoming season,” head coach Patrick Kisnorbo said.
“He’s a winger who has the versatility to play on both sides of the field and will create healthy competition with his explosive pace and work ethic.
“He’s at an age where we believe he is poised to hit his prime at Melbourne Victory but most of all, Santos is a team player with a willingness to learn, so we believe we can get the best out of him.”
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