From Romario to the dodgy DJ deal we rank all the Reds imports
Adelaide United has spent an estimated $12 million on visa players since the inception of the A-League in 2005. Val Migliaccio ranks every import. Plus, vote in our poll and have your say.
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Adelaide United has invested an estimated $12 million on visa players since the inception of the A-League in 2005.
The club’s imports featured a FIFA World Cup winner, the husband of a German pop star, a Flamengo Brazilian Serie A legend, a Jose Mourinho student at Chelsea and a current Spanish La Liga sensation.
Former China international Shengqin Qu was the first import to make his debut for the Reds in a round four clash against Perth Glory. away.
He scored the winner on debut.
Qu was also the club’s very first marquee signing.
Fernando Rech was the club’s first Brazilian that same debut 2005/06 season which led Adelaide to have a fixation with all things Samba when it came to issuing visas.
The flavour of Brazil slowly disappeared and Gyawe Jonas Salley became the first sprinkling of a new continent to enter the Reds ranks when the Ivorian, who now has Australian citizenship. was signed in 2007.
However, South America was still hot for Adelaide when Argentine Marcos Flores was captured, while the Netherlands was also in vogue after former boss Aurelio Vidmar first signed Indonesian Dutch-born international goal machine Serginho van Dijk.
A southern European invasion then flooded Reds visa spots, with several Spanish signings and in 2013 Portuguese flash Fabio Ferreira penned a deal.
Since Barcelona legend Guillermo Amor departed in 2017 the club has signed visa players from Asia, Europe and Africa.
Adelaide has signed a total of 41 visa players, there has been some very memorable ones and others, if it wasn’t for Google, would have easily disappeared from the Reds history books.
Let us know what you think of our rankings in the comments below.
No. 1: Isaias Sanchez (Spain)
Position: Central midfielder:
Games: 168
Goals: 10
Biggest ex club: Espanyol (Spain)
Current Status: Al-Wakrah (Qatar)
Why: A true leader, a great defensive midfielder that gave 100 per cent in every match. The key to the 2016 A-League double. He was also the club’s first foreign captain and sorely missed in this current season.
No. 2: Marcos Flores (Argentina)
Position: attacking midfielder
Games: 31
Goals: 9
Biggest ex club: Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys (Argentina)
Current status: Adelaide City NPL
Why: Adelaide’s only Johnny Warren medal winner who became a fan magnet on and off the park. Incredible skill and vision.
No. 3: Cassio (Brazil)
Position: left back
Games: 124
Goals: 7
Biggest ex club: Flamengo (Brazil)
Status: Retired
Why: He bled for the Reds and brought true Brazilian determination to the side. A typical Brazilian-style left back that inspired a new generation. Played a huge part towards the 2008 AFC Champions League final.
No. 4: Marcelo Carrusca (Argentina)
Position: left midfielder
Games: 115
Goals: 25
Biggest ex club: Galatasaray (Turkey)
Current status: Retired
Why: The Argentine under 20 international added a new dimension to the Reds midfield with his clever skills and ability to read the game way before many players knew what was ahead. An integral part of the 2016 A-League double.
No. 5: Serginho van Dijk (Netherlands)
Position: striker
Games: 71
Goals: 29
Biggest ex club: Sepahan FC (Iran)
Current status: Retired
Why: A true goal machine, an old fashioned No. 9, big and strong that could head the ball beautifully, hold up play and had a sweet left foot.
No. 6: Sergio Cirio (Spain)
Position: attacker
Games: 106
Goals: 23
Biggest ex club: Atromitos Athens (Greece)
Current status: UD Ibiza (Spain)
Why: The Spaniard brought joy to a side which was edging towards its finest moments in the A-League in 2016. Elusive and dynamic, he holds the record of being the first man to score an FFA Cup winning goal in 2014.
No. 7: Fernando Rech (Brazil)
Position: attacking midfielder
Games: 37
Goals: 13
Biggest ex club: Palmeiras (Brazil)
Current status: Retired
Why: He was the X-factor who helped Adelaide claim a historic maiden A-League premiership. He wasn’t typically Brazilian in terms of style but his energy and goals in crucial games counted big time.
No. 8: Sergio Guardiola (Spain)
Position: striker
Games: 16
Goals: 3
Biggest ex club: Real Valladolid (Spain)
Current status: Real Valladolid (Spain).
Why: The influence of former Reds coach Barcelona legend Guillermo Amor landed the striker. He showed very good signs that he was a cut above but once he returned to Spain he really flourished.
No. 9: Iacopo La Rocca (Italy)
Position: utility (defence/midfield)
Games: 30
Biggest ex club: Grasshoppers (Switzerland)
Current status: Retired
Why: An unsung hero during Adelaide’s incredible 2016 double. A typically Italian centre back, uncompromising, cheeky, strong in a duel and ruthless with neat ball skills.
No. 10: Romario (Brazil)
Position: striker
Games: 4
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: Barcelona (Spain)
Current status: Retired
Why: The FIFA World Cup winner put Adelaide on the global map in the early years of the A-League. He came here to party with his partner and his entourage playing foot-volley nightly at Glenelg. He wasn’t given the respect he deserved which impacted on his four-game stint. Sure he was old but the ones criticising him never came within a whisker of what he achieved in world football.
No. 11: Michael Jakobsen (Denmark)
Position: Centre back:
Games: 54
Biggest ex club: PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Current status: Reds contracted until June
Why: The second foreigner to captain the Reds, Jakobsen hoisted the club’s third FFA Cup success last year. Quietly spoken Jakobsen allows his game to do all the talking.
No. 12: Gyawe Jonas Salley (Cote D’Ivoire)
Position: central midfielder
Games: 34
Biggest ex club: IM Zhongyou (China)
Current status: Retired
Why: Most fans just simply adored his work ethic and his ability to win what most defensive midfielders would give up as lost causes. He was always strong and was never flustered in the middle.
No. 13: Fabio Ferreira (Portugal)
Position: right midfielder
Games: 50
Goals: 13
Biggest ex club: Sydney FC
Current status: Sydney Olympic
Why: One of the most powerful wingers seen in the A-League after serving an apprenticeship under Mourinho at Chelsea. His explosive speed was just too hot to handle for many defenders.
No. 14: Pablo Sanchez Alberto (Spain)
Position: striker
Games: 51
Goals: 17
Biggest ex club: Sevilla (Spain)
Current status: Uncontracted
Why: He started just 25 of his 51 matches but became a crucial player with a sucker punch which led to many well timed goals at the back end of matches especially in the 2016 title winning season.
No. 15: Cristiano (Brazil)
Position: striker
Games: 48
Goals: 11
Biggest ex club: FC Basel (Switzerland)
Current status: Retired
Why: At the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup when he scored the goal of the tournament against Egypt’s Al Ahly. Wrongfully sent off in the 2009 grand final.
No. 16: Diego Walsh (Brazil)
Position: central midfielder
Games: 27
Goals: 4
Biggest ex club: Columbus Crew (US)
Current status: Retired
Why: He really stood up during the club’s incredible 2008 AFC Champions League campaign but his time in the A-League was brutally cut short by too many injuries.
No. 17: Daniel Adlung (Germany)
Position: central midfielder
Games: 26
Goals: 5
Biggest ex club: VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)
Current status: Greuther Fürth (Germany)
Why: Added some great German flair in midfield under ex boss Kurz. Hard running, unselfish and ruthless, he also chimed in with timely goals.
No. 18: Shengqing Qu (China)
Position: striker
Games: 26
Goals: 8
Biggest ex club: Shanghai Greenland Shenhua (China)
Current status: Retired
Why: He really was an unknown quantity when he arrived for the A-League’s first season but soon won hordes of fans over with his finishing and creativity.
No. 19: Jeronimo Morales Neumann (Argentina)
Position: Attacker
Games: 53
Goals: 17
Biggest ex club: River Plate (Argentina)
Current status: Retired
Why: Neumann never had enough time to flourish to prove he was a brilliant marksman when former boss Josep Gombau let him go in 2014.
No. 20: Mirko Boland (Germany)
Position: central midfielder
Games: 26
Goals: 2
Biggest ex club: Eintracht Braunschweig (Germany)
Current status: Adelaide United until May 31 then Germany’s VfB Lübeck
Why: The likeable German’s brutal injury run over the past two seasons has unfairly taken away what he brings to the side when he is fit. His football sense in the middle is invaluable.
No. 21: Francisco Usucar (Uruguay)
Position: central midfielder
Games: 34
Biggest ex club: Técnico Universitario (Ecuador)
Current status: Uncontracted
Why: The tenacious midfielder added a typical Uruguayan feel to the Reds side from central midfield. But he was largely misunderstood during his two year tenure by systems which never suited his game – as balls forward kept flying over his head.
No. 22: Papa Babacar Diawara (Senegal)
Position: striker
Games: 23
Goals: 7
Biggest ex club: Sevilla (Spain)
Current status: Mohun Bagan (India)
Why: A spate of injuries during his two years really washed away what Baba brought to the club as a striker. He could leap like no other in the A-League and his instinct for scoring goals, holding up play and ripping defences apart with splitting passes was awesome.
No. 23: Johan Absalonsen (Denmark)
Position: left midfielder
Games: 12
Goals: 6
Biggest ex club: FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Current status: SönderjyskE (Denmark)
Why: He was integral cog in former coach Marco Kurz’s first season at the Reds before cutting his time short in Adelaide due to family reasons. Injury limited his time on the pitch but when was fit he was exciting.
No. 24: Dzengis Cavusevic (Slovenia)
Position: striker
Games: 4
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: FC Zurich (Switzerland)
Current status: Free agent (injured)
Why: He had plenty to offer after being signed in January 2018. He was a solid target man but rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament stalled his career.
No. 25: Kristian Opseth (Norway)
Position: striker
Games: 16
Goals: 2
Biggest ex club: BB Erzurumspor (Turkey)
Current status: Adelaide United
Why: One of Reds football director Bruce Djite’s first signings for Gertjan Verbeek after an unhappy time in Turkey. Starting just nine out of 16 matches he offers his side options for hold up play and aerial stability.
No. 26: Michael Maria (Netherlands)
Position: left back
Games: 20
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: FC Twente (Netherlands)
Current status: Adelaide United
Why: He hasn’t settled yet probably due to his teammates perhaps misunderstanding – sometimes – what coach Verbeek wants. Maria played under Verbeek at VfL Bochum in Germany.
No. 27: Henrique (Brazil)
Position: right midfielder
Games: 13
Goals: 3
Biggest ex club: América Futebol Clube (Brazil)
Current status: Retired
Why: Fans grew fond of Henrique very quickly but just as it looked like the Brazilian was here to stay he left for Thai football.
No. 28: Alemao (Brazil)
Position: right back
Games: 36
Goals: 3
Biggest ex club: Cruzeiro (Brazil)
Current status: Retired
Why: When he was hot he was very good at right back. Had a real Cafu right back feel about him at times.
No. 29: Joseph Keenan (England)
Position: left midfielder
Games: 17
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: Chelsea (England)
Current status: Retired
Why: The Englishman was solid in midfield, hard working and always tenacious but had his stint cut short by a broken leg after he was a short-term contract replacement for Nigel Boogaard.
No. 30: Evgeniy Levchenko (Ukraine)
Position: central midfielder
Games: 10
Biggest ex club: Vitesse Arnhem (Netherlands)
Current status: Retired
Why: Had a brilliant CV as a player, the extrovert simply didn’t play enough games due to injury.
No. 31: Jae-sung Kim (Korea Republic)
Position: central midfielder
Games: 13
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: Jeju United (Japan)
Current status: Retired
Why: He featured for his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and did have some impact when he featured for Adelaide in the A-League and Champions League in 2017. He wasn’t re-signed beyond that short stint.
No. 32: Bobby Petta (Netherlands)
Position: left midfielder
Games: 20
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: Celtic (Scotland)
Current status: Retired
Why: He certainly had all the attributes that made him a cult hero at Celtic Park but seldom displayed those qualities here because of injuries.
No. 33: Lloyd Owusu (Ghana)
Position: striker
Games: 16
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: Brighton & Hove Albion (England)
Current status: Retired
Why: An entertainer that was struck down by the swine flu and pneumonia. He then spent too many games in the youth team and scored once in a 3-3 draw with North Queensland Fury.
No. 34: Miguel Palanca (Spain)
Position: right midfielder
Games: 14
Goals: 1
Biggest ex club: Real Madrid Castilla (Spain)
Current status: FC Andorra (Spain)
Why: Signed during ex coach Josep Gombau’s tenure Palanca didn’t meet any of his expectations.
No. 35: Andwele Slory (Netherlands)
Position: right midfielder
Games: 11
Biggest ex club: West Bromwich Albion (England)
Current status: Retired
Why: Brought in 2011 with a huge reputation which was never fulfilled. He suffered from injury before quitting and retiring, making a brief comeback in 2015 in the Netherlands and retiring again.
No. 36: Karim Matmour (Algeria)
Position: attacking midfielder
Games: 8
Biggest ex club: Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)
Current status: Retired
Why: He was brought to Adelaide as a key playmaker under Kurz but just when it appeared he was getting some rhythm he left – almost fled – with his pop star wife Algerian-German singer Manel Filali and retired.
No. 37: Ken Ilso (Denmark)
Position: attacking midfielder
Games: 19
Goals: 3
Biggest ex club: Fortuna Düsseldorf (Germany)
Current status: Uncontracted
Why: Serving a two-year doping ban which has tarnished his entire career. Another player that failed to settle.
No. 38: Dario Bodrusic (Croatia)
Position: Defender
Games: 4
Biggest ex club: Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
Current status: Retired
Why: It was a strange near end of season signing when the Reds lost stopper Iain Fyfe in January. Never settled.
No. 39: In-Seob Shin (Korea Republic)
Position: attacking midfielder
Games: 21
Biggest ex club: Busan Ipark (Korea Republic)
Current status: Unknown
Why: The teenager landed in SA without any senior experience. It proved to be his undoing.
No. 40: Jordy Thomassen (Netherlands)
Position: striker
Games: 9
Biggest ex club: RKC Waalwijk (Netherlands)
Current status: Helmond Sport (Netherlands)
Why: He was brought to Adelaide to sort out the Reds goalscoring problems when Kurz was in charge but instead added to the dilemma. Not a good fit.
No. 41: Yongbin Chen (China)
Position: attacking midfielder
Games: 0
Biggest ex club: Qingdao Red Lions (China)
Current status: Adelaide United
Why: The experiment to sign a reserves player from Adelaide’s Chinese third tier sister club Qingdao Red Lions has failed in terms of being A-League ready.
No. 42: Special mention – Dexter Rosales (US)
A bogey man named Dexter Rosales – who was a nightclub DJ in the US – was announced by the club as a “player'” on his way in 2012.
The club’s bid to jump the media with an “exclusive” before doing any homework on the impostor was a major embarrassment. The Advertiser made calls to the club Ajax Amsterdam where he reportedly played.
Ajax officials were bemused by the call and had no knowledge of the player.