Wellington Phoenix have pulled off a significant coup, signing Caltex Socceroo and former Western Sydney Wanderers playmaker Dario Vidosic.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
*Vidosic has inked a one-year deal with Phoenix for the upcoming Hyundai A-League season.
*The 30-year-old has played in the Hyundai A-League with Brisbane Roar, Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers.
*He has also spent time at Bundesliga outfit FC Nürnberg, Swiss side FC Sion and Asian clubs Liaoning Whowin and Seongnam FC.
*Vidosic is coming off a short injury layoff and will start full-time first-team training with the club in the next few weeks
VIDOSIC EXCITED BY PHOENIX CONNECTION
“Obviously, through my dad [Phoenix assistant Rado Vidosic] I knew about the style of football that Darije was keen to play,” he said.
“He has such a great football background in Holland, it’s a style of football that I’ve been searching for for a while, I’m just excited about learning under him – I’m only 30 so still always eager to learn.
“When my contract [in Korea] finished up I got a lot of calls from agents, several A-League clubs were keen, there was also a chance to stay in Korea. But I thought the best place for me would be here, to enjoy my football again and just to play with a smile on my face.
“I’m pretty hungry for success, keen to be a force, not just a number in the league. In the short term however I’m just looking forward to a proper pre-season, to get the body right and be ready to go from October 8.”
DAD RADO GIVES SEAL OF APPROVAL
“Dario comes with a lot of experience, he’s played at the top level in Germany, Switzerland, China, Korea, Australia – all of these chapters are great learning experiences, that we hope he can demonstrate and share with some of the younger players on and off the park,” Rado said.
“Dario has great versatility, he has played as striker, as a number ten, he gives us important flexibility in our front third. He is very calm under pressure, good on the ball, a good passer, a good provider, and we hope he’ll contribute with goals as well.”
“People know that we worked together at Brisbane Roar, but we actually worked together as a teacher and student at Cavendish Road State High School well before that, so it’s not a new or a challenging experience.”
