FC Pune City clinched their big-ticket name by signing former Chelsea and Fiorentina star Adrian Mutu of Romania as its marquee player for the 2015 edition of the Indian Super League here today.
The 36-year-old was a part of the Juventus side that won the Serie-A twice in a row in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
The club also confirmed to have signed Ivory Coast legend Didier Zokora. The 34-year old, who has 123 games under his belt for Ivory Coast, is the most capped player in the country's history.
Expressing his joy on joining FC Pune City, Adrian said, "The commitment of the (FC Pune City) management for having me as a part of the club was one of the primary reasons for me to join. This certainly will be one of the biggest challenges of my career so far and I look forward to it.
"The team has gathered some quality signings from India as well as abroad and excellent backroom staff will make us (FC Pune City) an exciting side."
Speaking at the introduction of Adrian, Gaurav Modwel, CEO of FC Pune City said, "Adrian is FC Pune City's marquee player. His talent in front of the opponents' goal post is remarkable. His wealth of experience will be of great value to team's vision of being the best."
The talismanic winger began his career with Romanian club Arges Pitesti and has played for clubs like Inter Milan, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Juventus. His prolific form with Parma brought him a Euro 22.5 million transfer to Chelsea.
The 36-yearold Andrian scored more than 160 goals in his career and was the Romanian Footballer of the Year for a record four times.
Mutu was also the Coppa Italia top scorer in the year 2009-10. He last played for his Romanian club Petrolul Ploie?ti and will be a part of the Pune outfit in the second edition of the Indian Super League that begins in October.
Head Coach, David Platt said, "Adrian has experience at the highest level and a professional motivation to succeed. I've admired him from afar for some years and am very excited at the prospect of us working together for the benefit of FC Pune City.
