Football
AAP 7y

Brisbane Roar signs former Serie A striker Massimo Maccarone

Brisbane Roar's search for a marquee frontman is over with veteran Italian Massimo Maccarone joining the A-League club on a one-year deal.

Coach John Aloisi confirmed Maccarone has accepted an offer from the Roar and is expected to arrive in Australia in the coming days to meet his new teammates.

"Massimo's excited to be joining us," Aloisi told the Courier Mail.

"Massimo not only makes great forward runs but he also links up with players around him very well.

"He's still quick and he's still scoring goals."

The signing continues Brisbane's attacking overhaul following the departures of Jamie Maclaren, Brandon Borrello, Thomas Broich and Tommy Oar.

Maccarone, a two-time Italian international, will be 38 by the time the new A-League season begins but is coming off a reasonably strong Serie A campaign for Empoli, scoring five goals in 28 games.

The experienced forward fits the bill for the Roar neatly and also shapes as a mentor for rising teenage talent Nick D'Agostino, who is highly rated by the club and will play an increased role in the first team after Maclaren's move to Germany.

Nicknamed "Big Mac" Maccarone has played his entire career in Italy, save for five-seasons with Middlesbrough in the Premier League, where he became a cult hero.

He scored more than 100 goals across three stints with Empoli, while also representing AC Milan, Sampdoria, Palermo and Parma in his 20-year professional career.

Maccarone's recruitment follows that of former Melbourne Victory star Fahid Ben Khalfallah and injury-plagued attacker Corey Gameiro.

Aloisi is seeking one more player, an import winger, to round out his squad for next season.

^ Back to Top ^