Sydney FC pair Rhyan Grant and Andrew Redmayne will be glad to call Douglas Costa a teammate this season after being on the receiving end of the Brazilian star's brilliance 15 years ago.
The Sky Blues announced on Monday the signing of the 33-year-old former Juventus and Bayern Munich winger on a two-year marquee deal that's expected to boost the A-League's profile.
Costa's signing was met with joy by his new Sydney teammates, including defender Grant and goalkeeper Redmayne, who played against him at the 2009 Under 20 FIFA World Cup in Egypt.
Grant and Redmayne were part of the Australian team that lost 3-1 to Brazil in a Group E game in which Costa scored.
'I've always kept an eye on him because a claim fame was I got to play against him when he was up and coming,' veteran right-back Grant said.
'I can't remember everything from that game but a few times he ran rings around me.
'It was a pretty cool experience to play against him, and now that I'll be able to play alongside him as a teammate 15 years later is also cool.
'It's something that sport can do, after so many years to end up going full circle and becoming teammates is pretty special.'
Ex-Juventus star Douglas Costa will ignite the A-League this season
Sydney FC have signed the former Juventus and Bayern Munich star on a two-year deal
Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay on Monday said that Costa's A-League presence was 'up there' with Sky Blues' snaring of Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero - the greatest player to ever play in the competition - for two seasons from 2012 to 2014.
'Del Piero was such an unbelievable player and there were a lot of Italians in Australia and Sydney that really got behind him,' Grant said in recalling the 2006 World Cup winner's time with the Sky Blues.
'Douglas can do something similar with a lot of the Brazilian community, especially the many who live at Bondi. I'm sure he'll get bums on seats and get the crowd pumping with the way he plays with a bit of flair.
'It's going to be exciting times.'
Andrew Redmayne (pictured) is happy to call Douglas Costa a teammate after being on the receiving end of the Brazilian star's brilliance 15 years ago
Rhyan Grant said that is 'pretty cool' to be finally playing alongside the superstar
The arrival of Costa - who was also part of a Brazil team that beat the Socceroos 4-0 in a friendly in 2017 at the MCG - is set to be followed by the likely addition of another foreign attacker to Sydney's ranks, with the Sky Blues close to finalising the loan signing of 26-year-old Polish marksman Patryk Klimala from Slask Wroclaw.
Talay said Klimala, who previous clubs include Scottish giants Celtic, was in the age bracket that Sydney want to boost in its squad.
'He's in that in-between age that we are lacking, Talay said.
Having been trumped by Central Coast Mariners in the battle to sign former Socceroos defender Trent Sainsbury, the Sky Blues are also still searching for an experienced Australian centre-back, preferably who is currently based overseas.