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Former Juventus Winger Douglas Costa Joins A-League Side Sydney FC
Former Brazil winger, Douglas Costa, will hope to revive his flagging career in Australia after signing a two-year deal with Sydney FC.
Costa, who achieved significant success with Bayern Munich and Juventus, will arrive at the five-times A-League champions following a difficult term with Fluminense in Brazil’s top flight.
Costa failed to score in 22 appearances for the Rio de Janeiro club where he landed in January after Juventus ignored his appeals to return to the Italian giants.
Before joining Fluminense, Costa had a financially rewarding yet difficult two-year period with Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy, during which he struggled with injuries and faced legal issues off the field.
Though Costa’s best days are likely behind him, Sydney FC hailed his signing as a “massive coup” for the club and for Australia’s struggling professional league which has slashed funding to clubs to cover mounting losses in recent years.
“He is one of the most high-profile footballers to ever play on these shores and the eyes of the football world will be on Sydney FC and the A-League this season,” Sydney FC Chairman Scott Barlow said in a media release on Monday.
Sydney FC plans beyond the field
Sydney FC has a strong track record with marquee players, all of whom, from Dwight Yorke to Alessandro Del Piero to Milos Ninkovic, have made solid contributions on the field to match their off-field pulling power.
And Costa, who has more than 6 million followers on Instagram, should bring plenty of that particularly when it comes to Sydney’s growing Brazilian population, which lives largely within the Sky Blues’ eastern suburbs catchment area.
“Only Australian sports stars such as cricketer David Warner and Formula 1 driver Daniel Riccardo (have) a comparable online status,” the club said.
Costa is set to arrive in Sydney this week and will make his debut on September 19th against Eastern FC from Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Champions League 2 competition
“I have been part of some incredible teams throughout my career, winning many titles and I have come to Sydney FC to win more,” said Costa, who made the last of his 31 appearances for Brazil in 2018.
“Football is in my blood, and I arrive in Australia to raise the game in this country, entertain the passionate sporting public, and bring silverware to Sydney FC.”
