Star attacker Bruno Fornaroli will be Melbourne City’s captain for the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season, the club confirmed on Sunday.
Fornaroli, a 29-year-old Uruguayan striker, made a significant impact in his first season, finishing the campaign as the Golden Boot winner with 25 goals, breaking the A-League’s previous record of most goals in a season and becoming City’s all-time top goal scorer.
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Fornaroli has carried that form into the Westfield FFA Cup ahead of his second A-League season, scoring three goals in three matches, helping guide City to a semi-final berth in the process.
The announcement took place in front of a crowd of more than 4,500 fans at the annual Melbourne City Family Day, where the entire A-league squad and the new W-League signings were presented to the fans.
With the A-League season due to start on October 7, and the W-League on November 6, Family Day provided an opportunity for fans to mingle with the Club’s senior players ahead of the 2016/17 campaigns. The captaincy announcement comes after the recent confirmation of A-League signings Michael Jakobsen, Nicolas Colazo and Tim Cahill.
The Family Day took place at the community pitches at the City Football Academy, Melbourne, which is home to Melbourne City’s men’s, women’s and youth teams.
John van’t Schip said: “Bruno is the ideal captain for our team; he leads by example in the way he trains, plays and prepares for matches. He is the complete professional and is well respected by the playing group and is a vital player in the way we want to play. Importantly, his attitude and application sets standards for the team and motivates his fellow teammates.”
Fornaroli said: “It is a great honour to captain this team; Melbourne City is a fantastic club with a great atmosphere and family feeling; the players, staff, members and fans are together and I feel very much at home here. For me, the Club is very professional and has given me a great opportunity to develop in my career.
“When I first arrived I promised to fight for the badge and represent this club with passion and pride and help the team win its first Championship. I hope to be able to lead this team into the season with that same objective and to achieve something special with this Club and for this city.”
