S. Korean football club Ulsan sign Brazilian forward
Seoul, Jan 22 (IANS) South Korean pro football club Ulsan Hyundai said Monday they’ve signed forward Gleidionor Figueiredo Pinto Junior.
The K League Classic club said the 31-year-old Brazilian, who is commonly known as Junior Negrao, has signed a contract for the 2018 season and will join their pre-season training in Portugal, reports Yonhap news agency.
Ulsan believe that Junior will upgrade their attack in the domestic league and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
Ulsan, the 2012 AFC Champions League winners, qualified for this year’s continental club tournament as the Korea Football Association Cup title holders.
Junior last year played for the K League Classic side Daegu FC. Although he struggled early with injury, he was able to score 12 goals in 16 matches. He also had stints in Belgium, Switzerland and Thailand.
“I had lots of offers from various clubs after last season, but I first had to think about my family,” Junior said. “Of course, money is important, but I wanted to play football in an environment where my family can also stay happy.”
With the addition of Junior, Ulsan have competed their foreign player signings. Kim Do-hoon’s side will have Croatian attacker Mislav Orsic, Austrian defender Richard Windbichler and Japanese striker Yohei Toyoda for the 2018 season.