Joe Lewis has thanked Aberdeen for turning his career around and says nothing would make him prouder than lifting a trophy for the Dons after being installed as club captain.
The giant goalkeeper has been a rock for the Dons since signing on a free from Cardiff City three years ago.
Yet he admits his career was drifting aimlessly before being enticed north by Derek McInnes .
Just 50 appearances in six seasons with the Bluebirds - the vast majority of which came in loan spells with Blackpool and Fulham - meant Lewis was little known when he joined up with the Reds.
But he hasn't looked back since moving to Pittodrie, making 142 appearances in three seasons and experiencing three cup finals in that time.
McInnes chose the 6ft 5in Englishman to replace the departed Graeme Shinnie as club captain earlier this month.
And Lewis , who signed a new five-year deal with the Dons in May, is desperate to repay his gaffer.
He told the club's website: “I am proud and honoured to have been named captain for the season ahead.
“Since my arrival at the club I have struck up a great relationship with the fans and that has really helped me. When I joined I was in a position in my career where I wasn’t really going anywhere, I was just trying to find my place and establish myself once again as a goalkeeper.
“That was my sole aim when I first came to Aberdeen but it has brought so much more for me and my family. I have a great relationship with the fans and the city, I love living here. I have been shown great faith by the manager, enjoy a great rapport with the support and my family is settled so it has been a fantastic move for me.
“That’s why I committed my long-term future here and to become club captain three years after first signing is something that I am hugely proud of.
“It’s not just about me, we have a fantastic group of players who all know their place as role models, with many of them leading on and off the pitch without the armband.
“We have a great dressing room and I think that’s testament to the recruitment that has been done by the manager, ensuring we have a real honesty and integrity throughout the team.
“The support we have had at times over the past few years around the city has been incredible and I am hugely excited about the season ahead. I know that great things can be achieved with everyone pulling in the same direction.
“It would be one of the proudest moments of my life to lift a trophy as captain of this football club and that’s something that I will be striving to do along with the rest of the squad, we all want to bring success to the city and entertain the supporters.”
