KOCHI: Kerala Blasters announced their first foreign signing of the season by roping in Greek-Australian international Apostolos Giannou for the upcoming season of Indian Super League. The 32-year-old striker joins Blasters from A-League Club Macarthur FC.
The signing comes just in time for the Blasters, who have seen many prominent players leaving the club in the last few months.
Born in Greece, Giannou moved to Australia at a young age and played for youth teams at the Victorian Institute of Sport and South Melbourne, before making his professional debut with the Oakleigh Cannons.
He moved to Greek first division side Apollon Kalamarias 14 years ago. He then had stints with several Greek first-division teams like Kavala, PAOK, Ethnikos, Panionios, and Asteris Tripoli, recording 38 goals and 15 assists in over 150 appearances.
In 2016, Giannou joined the Chinese Club Guangzhou City FC for a record transfer fee.
After two prolific seasons in Asia, Giannou signed for Cyprus side AEK Larnaca and later moved to OFI Crete FC in Greece. Before signing for the Blasters, Giannou was with Macarthur FC, where he made 21 appearances and scored three goals for the club.
Giannou has made 12 appearances with the Australian senior national team. He has also donned the Greek national jersey once. “I’m really excited to be signing for Kerala Blasters. I will put my all for the team to achieve the goals it has for this year," said Giannou.
