Melbourne City FC can announce the signing of Australian defender Ben Garuccio ahead of the 2020/21 A-League season.
The 25-year-old joins the Club on a two-year deal, spending the last two seasons in Scotland with Heart of Midlothian.
Garuccio – who joined the Club as a 17-year-old in 2012 – returns to City Football Academy, Melbourne after his stints in Scotland and with Adelaide United.
The defender made 45 appearances with the Club during his four seasons in Melbourne and returns looking to win his first piece of silverware with City.
A dynamic, aggressive full-back, Garuccio will look to add competition to City’s defensive line ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Melbourne City FC Director of Football Michael Petrillo said:
“We’re delighted to have Ben back at Melbourne City and believe he will play an important role as we look to continue to build a Championship-winning squad in 2020/21,” Petrillo said.
“He returns to us as a battle-hardened senior footballer and we know his European experience will have readied him to be a major asset to our side moving forward.
“Patrick [Kisnorbo] has an in-depth understanding of Ben’s attributes – playing alongside him during his first stint at the Club – and we feel he’s a perfect fit for our style, playing as a full back or further up the field in a more attacking role.”
Ben Garuccio said:
“I’m delighted to be back at Melbourne City and can’t wait to return to AAMI Park to play in front of our home fans,” Garuccio said.
“I made my senior debut for the Club so Melbourne City is a special place for me. I know what it means to the fans and the people at the Club to achieve the ultimate success and hope we can accomplish it as a team.”
Garuccio is the Club’s sixth signing of the 2020/21 pre-season joining Andrew Nabbout, Marco Tilio, Matt Sutton, Taras Gomulka and Aiden O’Neil at Melbourne City for the upcoming season.
