Robbie Kruse is back home, signing with Brisbane Roar for the remainder of the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
As revealed by KEEPUP’s David Davutovic on The Official Isuzu UTE A-League Podcast, the Roar were planning to bolster their attacking stocks by signing the 75-time Socceroo.
His signing is the first in a series of planned signings by the Roar, who are looking to replace departed trio Riku Danzaki, Charlie Austin and Cyrus Dehmie.
Kruse hasn’t featured since March 2022, after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Melbourne Victory’s AFC Champions League tie with Vissel Kobe.
He has since been a free agent after his contract with the club wasn’t renewed, bringing an end to his second Victory stint in June 2022.
“Warren was really persistent in getting me to come down and I think my experience can really rub off on the younger guys, so really looking forward to it and helping the team as much as I can,” Kruse said.
“Coming off the knee injury I had last season, I had to do all the right things to give myself the best chance because I didn’t want to come back if I couldn’t contribute anything to the club.
“Up until the last game, the team has been really strong defensively. They’ve played some good football in patches but obviously haven’t been able to capitalise on the opportunities they’ve had.
“The table is so jam-packed that if you win two games, you really catapult up the ladder so obviously last game was disappointing, but you can get a couple of those throughout a season.”
The 34-year-old started his playing career at the Roar (then, Queensland) in 2007, where he spent just over two seasons playing for the club – making 26 appearances and scoring four goals – before moving to Victory for the first of two stints in 2009.
After leaving Victory for the first time in 2011, Kruse spent a significant portion of his career in in Germany at Fortuna Dusseldorf, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and VfL Bochum.
Kruse since returned to the Isuzu UTE A-League in 2019, where he linked up with Victory for another three seasons – taking his tally to 105 A-League Men’s appearances.
The winger was also part of Australia’s 2015 Asian Cup winning squad, along with their 2018 FIFA World Cup, and 2011 and 2019 Asian Cup squads.
“Robbie comes to us in a time where he genuinely wants to play for Brisbane Roar, and it’s great to have one of Queensland’s favourite sons return to where it all began for him,” Roar head coach Warren Moon said.
“Robbie comes in and adds much needed experience in the final third which is where we’re lacking. When he’s fully fit, this guy has the ability to really make things happen, which will help us.
“Looking at the stats, Robbie is one of the highest rated players in the league in terms of chance creation, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do for us.”
