Sydney FC are confident new signing Douglas Costa can buck the recent trend of A-League Men marquees flopping and deliver the quality and profile the competition needs.
And coach Ufuk Talay is hopeful of having Costa available for Sydney’s AFC Champions League 2 opener against Hong Kong team Eastern FC on September 19.
Former Juventus and Bayern Munich star Costa joins the ALM heavyweights as a marquee player for two seasons after being released early from his contract by Brazilian Serie A club Fluminense in July.
The 33-year-old Brazilian winger will land in Sydney this weekend as their biggest signing since Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero in 2012.
“It’s a great statement to the whole league and for us as Sydney,” Talay said.
“You look at Douglas’s career and what he’s achieved in his career, I think he’s up there with Del Piero.”
Recent big-name marquees Nani and Daniel Sturridge failed to fire for Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory respectively.
But Talay was confident Costa was different.
“Obviously we’ve done our research. He was at Fluminense just recently still playing regular football, which is very important for us,” he said.
“We still believe that he’s at a great age, and the discussions that we’ve had, he’s actually very excited to get over here, which I think is a fantastic positive for us.
“These type of players, it’s very important that it’s one of those ones where we keep them fit and we keep them happy and we let them do their thing on the park.”
Monday’s news comes after the Australian Professional Leagues slashed club distribution to just $530,000, down on close to $2 million last season.
With more than 13 million social media followers, Costa is hoped to attract more eyeballs to the cash-strapped competition.
“The calibre of Douglas will definitely attract attention from obviously within Australia and also over the world through social media,” Talay said.
“We don’t want it to get lost that his first job and his priority is to play football again.”
Talay said Costa was a “world class” player who could play multiple attacking roles, and believed he would lift his new teammates.
His extensive resume boasts five trophies with Italian colossus Juventus, six titles with German juggernauts Bayern Munich and eleven cups with Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.
Costa represented Brazil on 31 occasions and played at the 2018 World Cup and 2015 Copa America.
“I have been part of some incredible teams throughout my career, winning many titles and I have come to Sydney FC to win more,” Costa said.
“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.”
But Costa featured in just 22 matches for Fluminense, producing one assist and no goals, following eight goals in 51 games at MLS club LA Galaxy.
Talay believed Costa “wasn’t enjoying his football” in Brazil – which opened the door for Sydney to swoop.
Costa joins Brazilian midfielder Leo Sena and German midfielder Anas Ouahim as the club’s international signings.
Talay confirmed Sydney were still seeking a striker and a central defender.
