Perth Glory is delighted to confirm that Perth-born former Liverpool and Feyenoord goalkeeper Brad Jones has signed a two-year deal with the club.
Jones returns home having enjoyed a hugely successful career in Europe and Asia, winning three trophies apiece in England, Holland and Saudi Arabia.
The six-times-capped Socceroo was most recently on the books of Saudi powerhouse club Al-Nassr for whom he made 24 appearances and kept five clean sheets last season.
He is now relishing the prospect of representing the club he supported as a boy.
“I grew up in Perth and was a Glory fan in the inaugural years of the club,” he said.
“The opportunity presented itself to come home and to play in front of my family is a huge pull.
“I think there’s a good young group at Perth who will have learned a lot from last season which will stand them in good stead for the coming years and hopefully my experience will help with their development.
“I’m very ambitious and I want us to be at the top challenging.”
Head Coach Richard Garcia, meanwhile, believes that Jones will prove to be a key figure on and off the field.
“I’ve known Brad a long, long time and we went to the UK at similar times,” he said.
“He’s a fantastic person and exactly the kind of character that we want to bring into the environment here at the club.
“His playing record and performances speak for themselves.
“He’s had a fantastic career overseas and is looking to come back and do even better for his hometown club where he will not only help grow the environment, but help bring through the next generation.”
Glory CEO Tony Pignata is similarly thrilled to have Jones on board for the next two seasons.
“It’s a major boost not only for Glory but for the entire A-League that a player of Brad’s calibre has decided to come back to Australia,” he said.
“His signing is also another indication of the club’s commitment to establishing a core of WA players within a strong and highly-competitive A-League squad.
“We’re very excited to welcome Brad to Glory and I know our Members and fans will be similarly excited to see him in action for his hometown club.”
Originally from Armadale, Jones made his senior breakthrough at Middlesbrough where he spent a total of nine seasons and was a part of the squad that claimed the League Cup in 2004.
He moved from the Riverside to Liverpool in 2010 and was involved in another League Cup success with the Reds two years later.
More silverware arrived following Jones’ move to Holland where he was a key figure in Feyenoord’s first Eredivisie title win for 18 years in 2017 and also helped the Rotterdam club claim the KNVB Cup a year later.
During his first season in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, he enjoyed a Saudi Professional League title win with Al-Nassr which was followed by two Saudi Super Cups.
In terms of his international career, the 1.93m shot-stopper featured for the Olyroos at the 2004 Games in Athens, made his senior debut against Uruguay three years later and was part of the Socceroos squad at both the 2010 and 2018 World Cups.
#OneGlory
